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Hatsumi Sensei did the little imitation again, and laughed pleasantly with his assistant. I smiled politely, not really knowing how to handle the situation. This master of the ninja was not acting anything like I had thought he would. I had been expecting someone slightly sinister, formal, and reserved. Instead, here he was casually laughing and treating me as though we had been acquaintances for years. I was a little confused and uncomfortable.

He took a sip of tea and asked when I had been born.

“September 9, 1949, by our calendar.”

Hatsumi Sensei raised his eyebrows slightly and his mouth turned down at the corners in an odd smile. “Born on the ninth day of the ninth month of the forty-ninth year of the century you call the nineteen hundreds. That is interesting. According to our ancient traditions, nine represents the highest level of personal growth.”

I must have looked a little perplexed. The master paused a moment and tried to explain again. “There are nine levels or steps to personal development, from base physicality to highest spirituality. The ninja knew how to reach and utilize the power of any level-that is why they were so advanced. They were not supermen. They were merely completely developed natural men. Not all ninja were equally skilled at attaining all nine levels. Each man has his own inherent limitations, you know.”