Anyone Outside the Taira Is Not a Person

The emotions of the audience below the stage rose and fell like strings plucked by an invisible hand, shifting with the story told in light and shadow.

At first, when the three young ninja were introduced to the Taira sons, the air held more than curiosity. There was also a wariness and unease rooted in class and perception.

Even when they saw the children playing together, they couldn't help wondering whether Sukemori would have come to a dreadful end if Shintarō hadn't stopped them.

Among the nobles, gazes weighed the three children's usefulness like scales.

They spoke in low voices, weighing benefits against risks. They saw an investment in the future, potentially useful tools, and a novel approach to securing their families.

The women's reactions were much more direct, and more intense.

When they saw the children in black assigned to the sides of the precious young masters, many ladies and young women immediately frowned. They covered half their faces with fans and whispered among themselves.

"How can this be allowed? They're ninja who have learned the art of killing!"

"They're lowborn, so their characters must be... Bad company corrupts good people. What if they lead Master Koremori and the others astray?"

"Lord Shigemori has taken far too great a risk this time! Putting such dangers beside the children..."

Fear, disdain, rejection of the unknown, and concern that the bloody reek of swords might taint noble life made them resist the sight almost instinctively.

In their eyes, the three children in black were not individuals, but weapons.

Yet time flowed on across the stage, and the tableau of daily life slowly unfolded.

The presence of Shinrei, the only girl, became impossible to ignore.

A conspicuous red bow was tied at the back of her head so that even the audience in the distance could see it.

The actress playing "Shinrei" came from the Hyuga Branch Family, and she too was playing herself. The Caged Bird Seal and Byakugan had disappeared under the Transformation Technique, but her lovely features had not.

Or rather, every one of the people Izuna had chosen was exceptionally good-looking, which subconsciously made others find them approachable.

The saying that beauty was justice wasn't just empty talk.

And since she was a girl, she naturally drew people's attention.

The bond between Koremori and his retainer Shintarō, as well as the bickering between Takuichi and Sukemori, who got along despite constantly clashing, might bring knowing smiles, but only Shinrei could make people lower their guard.

Shinrei would crouch down and patiently straighten Taira no Arimori's rumpled collar after he had worked up a sweat playing.

When Taira no Sukemori spoke without thinking again or took a prank too far, she would give him a measured pat on the arm or back.

When she smiled on occasion, the corners of her lips curved quietly, and her eyes shone like a flower suddenly blooming, with a gentleness unique to girls.

Before anyone noticed, the women's whispers changed.

"Look at that little girl... She does have a kind heart."

"Look how carefully she takes care of Master Arimori. She's better than some of the clumsy maids in my own rooms."

"She has such a refined smile, too. If not for those clothes... she could pass for the daughter of a respectable family."

"What a pity... that she had to be a ninja."

"Oh, if only she weren't a ninja..."

That last sigh drifted lightly into the air.

Izuna plucked the strings.

The real story was only just beginning.

The bells of Gion Monastery

Echoed the truth that all things were impermanent.

The hues of the Sala tree blossoms

Revealed that the prosperous must decline.

The proud and extravagant could not endure,

Like a dream on a spring night.

The violent would surely perish,

Like dust before the wind.

That was the complete opening of The Tale of the Heike, a story about how the Taira came to ruin.

"Shintarō, Takuichi, Shinrei." A middle-aged man dressed in black looked at them and said, "Before you enter the service of the Taira, I must remind you that we Higa ninja have a tradition of accepting commissions whenever they come. The next time we meet, we may be enemies. Are you prepared for that?"

"Yes!" Takuichi said loudly. "Even if you're relieving yourself, Clan Head, I won't hesitate to strike!"

The middle-aged man, who had been serious until then, was speechless. "Don't attack me while I'm relieving myself."

Shintarō slapped Takuichi on the head, and Shinrei couldn't help laughing.

And so the three children left their clan and came to the Taira.

As Guardian Ninja to the Taira, they should have been shadows, usually hidden in the darkness, but Taira no Shigemori's kindness allowed them to lead relatively normal lives.

Shintarō gradually grew close to Koremori.

Shintarō was played by a young man from the Senju.

He had simply been wandering around the streets when Izuna, for some inexplicable reason, seized him and brought him to the troupe.

Normally, when something like that happened—and when the one who seized you and took you elsewhere was the second-in-command of your clan's mortal enemies—you'd resist, wouldn't you?

But the boy hadn't resisted at all. He had never joined Izuna's daycare, yet he was so unruffled that Izuna immediately knew he had found the actor he wanted.

Shintarō was also playing himself. Though he followed the rules, he was, at heart, an extremely easygoing person.

Just as a turtle could give people the impression of being unfathomable, Shintarō, despite being only fifteen, had an extraordinary air about him.

He could go anywhere in a pair of tall wooden clogs that looked difficult to walk in, knew at least twenty places to cool off, could catch a vase with his arm, and had surprisingly nimble toes.

Although he was fairly tall, people would always unconsciously overlook his presence.

His actions showed that he was strong, but he wouldn't act without orders, simply taking life as it came in an open and leisurely way.

Koremori was the exact opposite.

Koremori was actually Hashirama's son, and even Hashirama had found it odd when Izuna chose him to play a young nobleman.

But he soon understood why.

Koremori was also playing himself, or rather, all the actors here were playing themselves.

He was naturally gentle and honest, and as Hashirama Senju's son, he had received training in noble etiquette even though he was a ninja.

The young Senju was actually seventeen this year; he had used the Transformation Technique to look fifteen.

Koremori's circumstances were actually much like his own.

Both were the next heirs to their clans, both had formidable fathers, and both were mild-tempered and without great ambitions.

The only difference was that, as the young heir of the Senju Clan, he didn't have to worry about its destruction, while Taira no Koremori, standing on the brink of ruin, could only watch helplessly as his family headed for destruction.

But even if Koremori couldn't yet see the Taira's decline, self-restraint and proper conduct were the bare minimum for him. He couldn't be as free as Shintarō, so it was only natural that he grew close to the carefree Shintarō.

Meanwhile, Takuichi had actually started spending time with Sukemori.

Takuichi, or rather Takuma, was an impatient person who couldn't stand being looked down on, while the chubby Akimichi boy playing Sukemori hated nothing more than being called fat.

Of course, the cutting remarks Sukemori made were entirely an act. The Akimichi boy himself was merely a competitive glutton.

His competitiveness was mostly about eating.

So although the two usually found fault with each other and squabbled, their fiercest clashes generally took place at the dinner table.

In the story, Takuichi was usually the one to give way. After all, he was a ninja and the other boy was a young nobleman; if he insisted on taking things to the end, he would be the one overstepping.

Sukemori never truly pushed his luck, either. Though he didn't say so, it was clear he already regarded the three ninja as friends, even family.

When the noble relatives, maids, and attendants around him spoke ill of the three, he no longer joined in, but ordered them to shut up.

And just then, something happened.

It was an ordinary morning, and Sukemori planned to go hunting with a hawk he had recently trained.

He held up his arm and looked at the hawk, then turned to Takuichi, who was practicing with Shuriken on the training ground. "Takuichi, do you want to come hunting with me?"

"Go by yourself." Takuichi raised his hand and threw another Shuriken. "Didn't you get really angry last time and say I stole your prey? Try going by yourself this time."

Sukemori immediately bristled. "Hmph! Of course I can catch something! Without you there, everyone will see how skilled I am!"

"Don't ask the samurai uncles for help!"

"Of course I won't! Just you wait! I'll catch something big all by myself and bring it back!"

Sukemori left in a huff.

Takuichi really didn't follow him.

He was only going hunting in a small wood a few li away, and he had more than a dozen samurai with him. What could happen?

Something really did happen.

Sukemori did manage to hunt a deer himself. He was so happy when he saw it fall that, on the way back, he rode straight past the regent's procession without stopping to pay his respects.

That wouldn't have been a serious matter in itself, but the regent was a member of the Fujiwara Clan.

The Fujiwara Clan was the family to which the Daimyo of the time belonged.

The Fujiwara Clan had long been dissatisfied with the Taira's increasingly brazen behavior in recent years. How could they miss such a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to teach the Taira a lesson?

And so the attendants of the regent, Fujiwara no Motofusa, beat and humiliated Sukemori, who returned home bruised and battered.

"You didn't dismount and pay your respects before His Excellency the Regent?"

Taira no Sukemori knelt before his father and grandfather, tears at the corners of his eyes and bruises around his mouth, looking utterly miserable.

"I was on my way back from hawking, and I was in a hurry to get home... They said I was being disrespectful, so..."

Taira no Shigemori felt a headache coming on. Frowning, he said, "It was truly excessive of them to treat a child so roughly. But Sukemori, you were indeed the one who was discourteous first. Lord Motofusa is Emperor Takakura's regent."

Sukemori understood that too. He merely wept in silence, saying nothing. Takuichi, hidden in the ceiling, looked deeply saddened as he watched.

Shigemori considered the matter for a moment, then sighed. "Since it has come to this, I'll have to go and apologize to His Excellency the Regent."

"Wait." But Shigemori's father, Taira no Kiyomori, wore an arrogant expression, with a strange smile on his lips. "I have already given this matter some thought."

Shigemori had a bad feeling. Given his father's arrogant attitude that "anyone outside the Taira is not a person," he could imagine that his next move would hardly be gentle.

But he couldn't stop his father from saying what came next.

"As I see it, it's time to let the warriors of Rokuhara show what they can do!"

When Fujiwara no Motofusa went to the palace to attend Emperor Takakura's coming-of-age ceremony, Kiyomori ordered three hundred of his mounted samurai to attack Motofusa's procession.

They smashed the ox cart he was riding in and cut off his attendants' topknots, avenging Kiyomori's grandson.

The topknot worn with a shaved pate represented the dignity of court nobles and warriors, and cutting it off was a deeply humiliating act for a samurai.

What was more, three hundred men had gone up against a dozen or so. It was far too despicable, and people held it in contempt.

Even when Shigemori, the head of the family, later sent Sukemori away to reflect on his conduct and lie low, it failed to lessen the impact of the incident.

"Was it really all right to do that...?" Shintarō lay in a tree and spoke pensively. "The Taira may dominate the court and the country now, but if they keep doing things like this..."

"Hmph, they're just afraid of us," Takuichi said. "That's what they get for bullying Sukemori. A grown man bullying a child—he ought to be ashamed."

Shinrei was exasperated. "Takuichi, that's not what Shintarō meant."

Shinrei wanted to explain, but Shintarō interrupted her. "We're only ninja anyway. We just have to follow orders. There's no need to think so much."

"Of course," Takuichi said dismissively.

Shinrei, however, sighed silently, troubled. But she was only a ninja, and their lowly status meant they couldn't even offer the nobles the slightest warning.

That would have been against the rules.

And because she was a girl, she couldn't properly share her thoughts even with Shintarō and Takuichi.

Boys always thought girls were indecisive. She would probably be interrupted before she was halfway through, just as she had been a moment ago.

Feeling depressed, Shinrei left herself visible for once and wandered aimlessly along the corridor.

"Hello."

A gentle voice came from inside a room. Shinrei looked in that direction and saw that it was Taira no Tokuko.

Taira no Tokuko was the daughter of Taira no Kiyomori and Tokiko, and the younger sister of Taira no Shigemori, the current head of the family.

Shinrei bent at the waist and bowed respectfully to the beautiful woman inside the room. "Lady Tokuko."

Tokuko tilted her head and looked at her curiously. "Are you one of the three ninja my brother brought here? You're a girl?"

"Yes, Lady Tokuko."

"Don't be so formal. Just call me Tokuko." Tokuko held out a delicate hand and beckoned to the girl with the red bow. "Come in. Do you like sweets?"

Shinrei was in no position to refuse. Since she had been asked, she went inside and knelt facing Tokuko, keeping a certain distance between them.

When Tokuko pushed the sweets toward her, Shinrei lowered her head in thanks. "Thank you, Lady Tokuko, but I'm not hungry at the moment."

"Sweets aren't something you only eat when you're hungry." Tokuko didn't insist. She asked, "What were you doing just now? Were you training as a ninja?"

"No, I was just wandering around, Lady Tokuko."

"I told you, just call me by my name." Tokuko sounded a little helpless. "You're such a little stickler."

Shinrei said nothing and simply sat there.

But Tokuko seemed to think she was someone she could confide in, and began talking at length.

"Ever since my younger sister married six years ago, I haven't been able to find anyone I could speak to from the heart. Moriko was only nine then, when she married Lord Fujiwara no Motomi."

At the time, Fujiwara no Motomi already had a five-year-old child with someone else, and he married Moriko only for political reasons. But just two years after marrying her, Motomi died.

Moriko became a widow at eleven, and had to raise an unrelated son only four years younger than herself.

Hearing this, even Shinrei couldn't help looking astonished. Ninja had a high mortality rate, but they really had no such bizarre marriages.

"Oh, right. Lord Motofusa is Lord Motomi's younger brother—the one Sukemori offended." Tokuko spoke softly. "I think he punished Sukemori not only because he was offended, but also because Moriko, as Motomi's wife, holds the Fujiwara family's lands and property."

Shinrei's eyes widened, and she couldn't help saying, "Oh, is that how it is?"

"Yes... oh..." Tokuko sighed softly. "That's what political marriage is. I'll be getting married myself before long."

"May I ask whom you're going to marry?"

"Lord Narihito."

"Retired Emperor Shirakawa's son?" Shinrei was shocked. "But he's only ten! You..."

Tokuko smiled. "I'm sixteen this year."

Shinrei frowned. "That's terrible."

"Father only sees us as pieces on a board." Tokuko lowered her eyes. "I'm all right. Others have it worse than I do. Compared with them... my life is already very good."

Shinrei knew Tokuko wasn't talking about ninja.

She meant Shirabyōshi, performers who danced dressed as men—in simple terms, prostitutes who performed dances.

Recently, Taira no Kiyomori had chosen a different Shirabyōshi to summon. The previous two were said to have served him for a full three years, yet such favor meant nothing in Taira no Kiyomori's eyes.

Gio and Gijo had been cast aside without mercy.

Once abandoned, Shirabyōshi received no more summons. Their income came only from the family that chose them, or rather, the person who chose them.

With their source of income gone, they could do no other work, for they had devoted their lives to song and dance. So Gio and her family could only shave their heads, become nuns, and spend the rest of their lives in a temple.

Shinrei thought, That's true. Compared with a Shirabyōshi, a noble young lady with value is better off, but comparing them like that seems... not quite right.

But Shinrei did not know what was wrong with the comparison, nor did she think about it any further.

Tokuko looked at the silent Shinrei and said, "You're so lucky. Even though you're a girl, you have strength, you don't have to get married, and you're free to go anywhere you want."

Tokuko looked at Shinrei's face again. "You're very pretty, and you have a beautiful figure too. How wonderful. I wish I could be like that. It's a shame I can't become a ninja."

No, Lady Tokuko, Shinrei thought. We wagered our lives to gain this "freedom." If I had a choice, I wouldn't want to be a ninja.

"Anyway, thank you for talking with me about these dull things." Tokuko smiled at her. "I don't have anything else to give you, so take these sweets as payment."

Shinrei did not refuse. She took the sweets and left without a word.