There was the sound of two doors opening and closing, it seemed like the driver and passenger got out.

I listened raptly for any sounds, there was silence for a minute or two. Then I heard someone speaking, I could not hear what they were saying. After some back and forth of conversation, they fell silent.

I heard the sound of another door opening, it sounded closer than before. I assumed that was the sound of the cargo door where I was in. After a few moments, the box I was in was carried out. Whatever was carrying me moved slowly and steadily.

The box moved for three minutes, then it was put on the ground. I heard the sound of someone opening the box. The door fell open with a clang, I was blinded by the light momentarily.

Then I saw Uno grinning at me. I was lost for words. What on earth is going on?

“I hope the trip was not disappointing. We tried to hit as many bumps as possible then I was told the cargo area would not be affected. What a tragedy! It was made for delicate merchandise, such as you, sire.”, that was the voice of Dos but he was nowhere to be seen.

I heard a bump from the top of the box and then the top slid to the back, I saw Dos peeking at me. He looked like he heard the best joke in his life. Tres was standing a little bit to the back talking to somebody I could not see.

If I was actually kidnapped by these clowns, I would be a living farce. I did not deign to reply to Uno, but he did not look like he was bothered by my silence. Uno and Dos removed the rest of the box, now I saw where I was being held.

I was bewildered as I looked around me, my first thought was that this made no sense. My second thought was that I am screwed. I looked at Uno, Dos, and tres as they watched my reactions to my surroundings, they seemed amused by them.

I was sitting in a lone chair in the midst of a dojo. It was not a regular dojo, for I had practiced Iaido (katana martial art) in a regular dojo. A regular dojo would have straw mats or rubber ones at least, this dojo was all concrete.

I could smell blood in the air, this place is where people shed their sweat and blood in practice, literally. I felt it was odd that they abducted me to their dojo. Not to mention that I doubted they would have a dojo in France, so I have been out of it more than I had thought.

“I guess we owe you an apology, Mr. Jack.”, a gruff voice sounded behind me. There was an obvious accent but I could not be sure where from.

“If you kidnapped me to apologize, I think you should work on your people skills.”

He laughed, it sounded like thunder, I expected a gigantic man from his voice. He said, “You are as amusing as I was told. Your presence here is no kidnapping, I can assure you that it was by your own consent.”

“I will be damned, this is some magical way to get consent. Was it my failure to resist the kidnapping that made this consensual?”

“No, it was your agreement to be a tutor for a year. Although there may have been some trickery involved in the agreement, nevertheless we abide by the laws to protect the tutor of one of our own.”

At first, I felt confused, for the agreement was to tutor a councilman’s daughter for a year. Then my heart sank, Freya had said I would be tutoring the anonymous councilman’s daughter. This woman tricked me.

At the mention of any councilman outside the organization, it is mentioned which council they belong to and in case it is an anonymous one then it is an undisclosed secret. I fell for the oldest trick in the book.

To be honest, I was not afraid at all but mostly dreaded what was to come. I said, “This is one clever way to acquire a tutor. I am curious, what will I tutor my anonymous pupil in?”

“Why, of course, it will be in torture. We were told many stories about your genius and exceptional abilities. And who would be more suitable than a young man with such immense talent to tutor my own genius daughter.”

Will you look at that? I am almost one hundred percent sure this was a ninja leader from an organization. His aura is so overwhelming, his very voice is sending shivers down my spine.

Whoever was speaking put his hand on my shoulder, I was almost trembling at this point. I cannot be blamed for that really, the aura is kind of similar to our survival instinct. In normal times we cannot tell but suppose you saw a predator you have never seen before, would you gawk and take photos or feel the intense danger that you just cannot understand.

Martial artists cultivate aura as it is a representation of their understanding of their martial arts as well as who they are. You can think of it as forming your own personality but it is a representation of a certain set of skills you possess.

My sensitivity to aura is something I was born with, usually, experts and masters are the only ones who can sense and use aura. I was lucky one might say, however, I was not feeling that luck right now.

I felt the hand of the man was as dangerous as the paw of a lion, and probably more destructive than one. He gripped my shoulder lightly, but I felt like he could tear it off if he wanted to.

“You can feel it, cannot you? I was told you were born with a sensitivity to the aura, which is one of the primary reasons we asked for you by name. This is a transaction, you teach my daughter and our faction will help your organization. Some might consider it an alliance but I think we are adult enough to not jump the gun with that word.”

I was sweating at this point, I gulped and said, “I appreciate your favorable opinion of me but may I recommend someone with a better experience with teaching torture?”

His grip on my shoulder got tighter and I could see the amusement of the clown trio as we talked. The leader then said, “There is no way out for you so stop being a smartass, and let us discuss the specifics of your employment.”

Since there was no leeway at all then I suppose I should stop embarrassing myself. Officially I represent both the Truth Seekers and my family, regardless of the fact that the entirety of the transaction was done behind my back. I was still confused though.

“I can understand the secrecy of all of this but the one thing that makes no sense is why do a theatrical act of the ninja escape with me being ‘abducted’ in retaliation while the reality is that it's a hidden deal. Would not it have been simpler if I was in the know?”

The man withdrew his hand and turned me around to face him. A herculean effort, I might add that this chair has no wheels so it is not as easy as it sounds. He made it look easy though.

I finally saw the preparator of my misfortunes since that night. He was wearing a white kimono with a regular katana strapped diagonally across his back. At first glance, I pegged him as a Japanese, as the features were right.

He had soft features, a clean-shaven beard, with black hair speckled with white ones but the majority was black. He was not as huge as I thought he would be, he was 1.8 meters tall. He had wide shoulders and looked like he could beat a bear barehanded.

He grinned at me playfully, this was a man in control of an entire organization of ninjas. These kinds of organizations do not just hand the leadership to the smartest or the strongest but it is the smartest, strongest, most cunning one who is crowned leader.

I kept in mind these words to remind myself that he can cut me down with a clear conscience and no one will be able to avenge me.

“I am Aoki Kaji. It appears we have started off on the wrong foot. Might you introduce yourself?”

I almost snorted in laughter, I hid it with a wide smile as I said, “Well met Aoki-san, I go by the name Jack Crunitum of the Truth Seekers.”

The reason I almost laughed was not how his attitude changed but because of his name. Now that he said his name I was sure he is Japanese. Japanese say the last name first then their surnames. His name literally means ‘Fiery green tree’ if it was said surname then last name or ‘green tree of fire’ when he said it that way.

What an odd name.

His smile looked predatory and his aura was even more menacing now. He stood there relaxed but it felt like I was facing a hot fire that would reach out with its tongues of flame to consume me. I guess his name makes sense now.

Then he seemed to calm down and I could swear I smelled nature. A whiff of an ancient forest that threatens to swallow me. Now he was just messing with me. It seems he has full control of his aura, not to mention having an aura of fire while his family line possesses the forest aura. I will explain all of this later but understand for now that aura kinds are usually inheritable. This is why if one family has a master martial artist the odds that another master will appear down the line is pretty high.

I pursed my lips, then said, “Either you are flaunting the fact you possess two auras while I am still not even an expert or you are telling me that coming from such a position of strength that mere theatrics are of no concern to you. And yet it did happen so you can do a backflip for all I care, I still want an explanation.”

“You are a rude one, this is a demonstration in case you were not sure if I was a master before and was shivering from the cold.” He paused momentarily to let his contempt sink in, then said, “The plan for how you were to be brought is a smokescreen for those that are on my level so a rabbit should not ask a lion if this is all he has got but to care about running faster lest the lion tires of playing with its food and eats it.”

Wow, he does not take well to being talked down to. I mean I expected him to fire back in retaliation to my sarcasm but a clear threat was not expected. I shrugged helplessly, I have been seated all this time unsure if I should stand up, and now I think I should remain seated.

“That was a delightful talk and all but how about we jump start this thing? I would like a bath, a room, and some food. At least this is what I assume a guest is deserving of.”

He looked slightly surprised then laughed, “I suppose completing our talk tomorrow will be best. Do keep in mind that you will be led to your room and there will be no leaving it before tomorrow.”

He shook his head slightly then left from somewhere behind me. No goodbye and no greetings seem to be the style of the ninjas. And he tells me I am rude. I sighed, this is too chaotic to my tastes. I looked at the annoying trio, they looked at me from where they stood at attention.

Uno raised an eyebrow at me, Dos and Tres acted like whatever was behind me was more interesting. I yawned loudly, then snuck a peek behind me in case he was still there. He really was a leader of ninjas, for behind me was a wall bare of anything other than a painting of a tree. Either I just met a ghost or he did a grand exit and I was none the wiser.

I turned to the trio to find them gone as well, I creased my eyebrow. Are we going to play hide and seek? I stood up to stretch my legs and see if I can call someone to take me to my room.

As I walked around the dojo, I registered the fact that it was not as big as I thought it was. It was the size of a regular bedroom, the same as the one I slept the last time I was in the hall of chambers. I slapped my forehead once I saw the futon lying behind a screen.

I was in my room all along.

Since it seems I will be dealing with ninjas for a while thanks to this job, I should be wary of their sense of humor. One just might drop me off a building and tell me hey it is faster than the elevator.

I tried all the doors, to my dismay there was not a single exit. It is not like I was going to escape, I honestly doubt I will get out successfully from the room. The rabbit part did alert me that I am the weakest person here. There were 3 sliding doors, one was a closet, another leads to a bathroom and the final one led to a torture room.

I suppose knowing a torture room when I see one is part of my profession but it really was not that hard to figure out. It was bare of everything except a table at the wall opposite the door, and a dilapidated bed in the center of the room. It was not even one of the nice ones, but just a metallic bed with a worn-out mattress. It had no sheets and no cushion and there were a pair of metallic cuffs at the head and the foot of the bed.

I hope that this was not where I was going to teach. Torture is not for the weak of mind or heart but at least we take care to do it in proper rooms. This was more of a haunted room in a horror flick.

I went to the bathroom and took a shower, the bathroom was completely western so it was just a toilet, a sink with a tap, and a bathtub with a showerhead. There was a black towel, which I did a double-take once I saw it. I honestly hesitated to use it at first but when I noticed its quality I just said the hell with it and used it.

I did not feel like sleeping, but I was hungry. Since I noticed the lack of an entrance or an exit I was hoping for good room service, with me exiting the bathroom finding a sumptuous meal waiting for me in the room.

My expectation seems to have been bludgeoned though, not in a bad way. I opened the door to find myself in another room. I can swear up and down that this was the same door that leads into the room I was at before. However, this was definitely not my room.

There was a long table on the floor with a feast ready on it, the table was big enough to seat 6 people. Five people were already seated and they were all looking at me as I froze and stared with wide eyes.

Is it too much to ask them not to fuck around with doors for my sanity?

I shrugged as I decided that there was no making sense of ninjas. I stepped out of the bathroom thankfully clothed, imagine if I was one of these savages who walk out of a shower with only a towel instead of fully clothed.

The ones seated at the table were supposed to be my guard detail. If I was to rate them I will give them all one star. At the head of the table was Uno and at the sides were one of the twins with Dos and the other with Tres.

Even their seating arrangement was weird.

I cleared my throat and said, “Quite the room service you have here. If you were to make a hotel it would be a big success. Just to make sure the last seat is for me and not another one of your fancy traps. May I be seated and eat with you all.”

I was going on a limb assuming the two besides the trio were the twin dragons since I always saw them in their standard ninja getup. In addition, I figured that the trio were ninjas considering their attitude when they saw the leader. Or they were at least experts since the aura of the expert put them on an edge.

Uno clapped his hands and gestured to me to sit, and said, “Allow us to clear the air and put behind any grievances you might hold against us. I know this is not what you expected, hell even we did not expect our assignment to lead us here.”

I took a seat on the cushion, I sat cross-legged as I looked at him. I said, “You mean to say even you were not clear of what had happened? I find that hard to believe with that confident attitude of yours.”

“We are definitely not as surprised as you were but all we were told was to abduct you with little to no injuries and head to a location. We would then be notified of the next step. Once we arrived at the location, we realized that this was an old underground bunker. The ones who received us were ninjas of the tree faction of the Gate of Heaven. Then you know the rest, we unboxed like a toy and you met the boss who is like a dragon I might add.”

He shivered slightly as he spoke of the leader. I narrowed my eyes, and said, “Let us eat first, and then we will discuss what the hell is going on.”