A Samurai Comes of Age: Death Among Brothers, Book One

Japan, 1632. Hideki is one of the young descendants from the line of Tokugawa Ieyasu. He and his older brother are summoned to Edo at the announcement that the current shogun is retiring. Hideki is a likeable seventeen year old and a little of a rapscallion, prone to ducking his samurai responsibilities for more time in the dojo. The sword is his life and Bushido is his mantra, but as a swordsman he has trouble even beating his older brother. On their trek to Edo for an audience and evaluation, Hideki grows from a day dreaming teenager to a responsible man, dealing with his first crush on a female, assassins out to extinguish his life, and deceptive and corrupt police and government officials. He is aided in his journey by a young ninja steeped in the old ways of the shinobi, the master swordsman Musashi, and a princess of a large ninja clan who unknowingly falls in love with her target. Hideki attracts a loyal following because of his childlike belief in Bushido as cure-all for everything, but he becomes internally conflicted when he learns his code may not provide all the answers.