The Battle for the Golden Egg Read online

  ‘You found the cavern then?’ asked Buta-Sama.

  ‘Yes,’ replied Little Pig.

  ‘And you picked the largest one?’

  ‘Yes,’ she replied. ‘It was already starting to wriggle. I only just had time to paint it gold.’

  Buta-Sama smiled, tucking into his custard. ‘Then we won’t have long to wait.’

  He was right.

  A loud CRACK could be heard coming from Castle Kemushi, followed by an even louder ROAR! Flames burst out of the castle gates. Shrieking samurai leapt from the windows.

  Dragons are always grumpy when they hatch.

  ‘Samurai,’ muttered Little Pig, shaking her head, ‘are they always so silly?’

  ‘Always,’ answered Buta-Sama, chuckling to himself. ‘It’s the only thing I like about them.’

  Smoke swirled around the battlements. Walls were smashed, tables torched, carpets cooked.

  Kingyo-Sama crawled to the open window. He gazed across the moonlit night, towards Castle Baka Tori.

  The ninja were celebrating. He could hear the sounds of cheering, laughing and farting.

  Kingyo-Sama growled. His burnt eyebrows crinkled in fury.

  ‘I will get you for this, brother Buta,’ he croaked.

  ‘Mark my words. One day soon, I will have my vengeance.’

  Glossary

  baka idiot

  baku a spirit that eats dreams and nightmares

  Bushidō samurai code of honour

  buta pig

  Edo Period a time in Japanese history between the years 1603 and 1868

  kamishimo a traditional outfit worn by samurai during the Edo Period

  kemushi caterpillar

  Kenjutsu fencing

  konnichiwa hello

  mink-u-i buta ugly pig

  ninja a covert warrior from ancient Japan

  nodo no kingyo thirsty goldfish

  obi a broad sash worn round the waist of a Japanese kimono

  oni ogre or demon

  ō-yoroi armour

  sama a mark of respect put after someone’s name, normally used for a person of great importance

  samurai Japanese warrior or knight

  sayonara goodbye

  sensei teacher

  shinobi shōzoku traditional ninja outfit

  shōgun supreme military ruler of the Edo Period

  shuriken small-bladed weapon

  tengu long-nosed goblin

  tori bird or chicken

  wasabi hot, spicy Japanese paste

  The Dress Code of Samurai

  Japanese ō-yoroi armour

  The Laws of Bushidō

  Rectitude ( gi)

  Courage ( yū)

  Benevolence ( jin)

  Respect ( rei)

  Honesty ( makoto)

  Honour ( meiyo)

  Loyalty ( chūgi)

  Japanese numbers (1–10)

  THE WAY OF THE THIRSTY GOLDFISH

  Famous move #73:

  Flying Flipper Attack

  THE WAY OF THE UGLY PIG

  Famous move #26:

  Bristly Chin Stance of Strength

  Books by Nick Falk and Tony Flowers

  Saurus Street 1: Tyrannosaurus in the Veggie Patch

  Saurus Street 2: A Pterodactyl Stole My Homework

  Saurus Street 3: The Very Naughty Velociraptor

  Saurus Street 4: An Allosaurus Ate My Uncle

  Saurus Street 5: A Plesiosaur Broke My Bathtub

  Saurus Street 6: A Diplodocus Trampled My Teepee

  Billy Is A Dragon 1: First Bite

  Billy Is A Dragon 2: Werewolves Beware!

  Billy Is A Dragon 3: Shadow Shifter

  Billy Is A Dragon 4: Eaten Alive!

  With Tony Lowe

  Troggle the Troll

  Want more battles?

  Check out Samurai vs Ninja 2:

  The Race for the Shōgun’s Treasure

  OUT NOW

  Watch out for Samurai vs Ninja books 3 and 4 in July 2015!

  All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted by any person or entity, including internet search engines or retailers, in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including printing, photocopying (except under the statutory exceptions provisions of the Australian Copyright Act 1968), recording, scanning or by any information storage and retrieval system without the prior written permission of Random House Australia. Any unauthorised distribution or use of this text may be a direct infringement of the author’s and publisher’s rights and those responsible may be liable in law accordingly.

  Version 1.0

  Samurai vs Ninja 1: The Battle for the Golden Egg

  Copyright © Nicholas Falk 2015

  Illustration copyright © Tony Flowers 2015

  The moral right of the author and illustrator has been asserted.

  A Random House Australia book

  Published by Random House Australia Pty Ltd

  Level 3, 100 Pacific Highway, North Sydney NSW 2060

  www.randomhouse.com.au

  Random House Books is part of the Penguin Random House group of companies whose addresses can be found at global.penguinrandomhouse.com

  First published by Random House Australia in 2015

  National Library of Australia Cataloguing-in-Publication Entry

  Author: Falk, Nicholas

  Title: The battle for the Golden Egg [electronic resource]

  ISBN: 978 0 85798 606 1 (ebook)

  Series: Samurai vs ninja; 1

  Target Audience: For primary school age

  Subjects: Samurai – Juvenile fiction

  Ninja – Juvenile fiction

  Other Authors/Contributors: Flowers, Tony

  Dewey Number: A823.4

  Cover and internal illustrations by Tony Flowers

  Internal design by Tony Flowers

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