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weight.
    â€œJust as I thought,” he grins and twists my arm so that the pain is almost too much to bear. “You wouldn’t survive long in a real fight.”
    I’m forced to submit. I tap the floor.
    â€œChange opponents!” orders Sensei Shima.
    As I get up, I rub my hurt arm. It throbs.
    Cho comes over to partner me. “Are you alright?” she asks.
    I nod. “He’s too strong for me,” I answer.
    My arm’s fine – it’s my pride that’s been hurt. I’ll never gain the respect of the others until I’ve completed my first mission.
    â€œEveryone has a weak point,” replies Cho. “I may be small, but few can beat me.”
    Without warning, she drives her thumb into the space behind my collar-bone. A blinding pain shoots through my body, my legs go weak, and I fall to the ground.
    â€œThat’s the Dragon’s Gate,” she smiles. “It’s a pressure point that will take down the biggest and
ugliest
foe.”
    â€œWill you show me again?” I ask.
    Cho repeats the move. Then she lets me try it on her. I press down and she collapses like a rag doll.
    â€œSorry, was that too hard?” I ask as I offer my hand to help her up.
    â€œNo, it was perfect,” she replies. Then she grabs my wrist and, with a quick twist, throws me onto my back. “But that’s the last time I’ll let you win so easily.”
    â€œStop training!” commands Sensei Shima.
    Our clan leader, Tenshin, is walking towards us from the direction of the village. He’s wearing his black
gi
, a ninja uniform with the crest of two hawks on the front. The two hawks are the emblem of the clan.
    â€œWe need all available ninja for an important mission,” says Tenshin.
    At last, here’s my chance!
I jump to my feet.
    â€œNot you, Taka,” Tenshin tells me. “This is a black-belt-only mission.”

Chapter 3
    Black Belt Test
    â€œThis will be my tenth mission,” brags Renzo the next morning as the ninja team get ready to leave. “Tell me again, how many have you done, Taka?”
    I ignore him and get on with filling everyone’s water bottles from the village well.
    â€œYou haven’t even passed the Grandmaster’s black belt test!” Renzo sneers. “Are you sure you can even do water duty on your own?”
    My face goes red with shame as the other ninja try to hide their laughter.
    The Grandmaster is the head of
ninjutsu
, the secret martial art of the ninja. When a student turns fourteen, the Grandmaster invites them to his temple to take a flower from his hand – without being detected. The Grandmaster must feel nothing, must not know they are even there. He is old and blind, but the task is far from easy. There are traps set all through the temple.
    It’s the ultimate test of stealth for a ninja.
    Sensei Shima is the only ninja to have passed the test the first time and that was ten years ago. Once a ninja earns their black belt, they’re ready to be sent on any mission.
    I’ve failed twice already. Am I ever going to succeed and get my black belt?
    As I hand out the water bottles, I watch as my fellow ninja complete their final equipment checks. How I wish I could go too! But Cho isn’t among them. Then I spot her crossing the village square towards me.
    â€œThe Grandmaster has asked for you,” she says.
    I stare at Cho. “Me? But why?”
    â€œWhy do you think?” Cho replies, grinning.
    â€œ
Black belt test
!” I exclaim. “But I’m not ready for it.”
    Renzo overhears us and gives a cruel laugh. “Those who fail to prepare, must prepare to fail!”
    â€œDon’t listen to him,” says Cho as we walk away. “I’ve seen you practicing every day. You’re ready.”
    We cross the paddy fields, enter the forest and follow a path up into the mountains. As we draw near to the temple, I get more and more