Samurai's Apprentice: Books 1 & 2: Samurai's Apprentice & Ninja's Apprentice

The battle of Sekigahara has just ended, where might armies clashed in order to determine who will be the next Shogun. All this seems far removed from Kami, a boy who quietly goes about his everyday life in a farm village until one day he trips over the unconsious body of a samurai hidden in the long grass. Kami saves the samurai, nursing him back to health and seeking to become his apprentice. Kami has to prove himself worthy of learning the secrets of the samurai though, and embarks upon a journey that leads him across the warring kingdoms, facing assassins and intrigue as he journeys to the capital to face the new Shogun. Through his travels, Kami must learn what it is to serve a samurai, and in his many challenges he must eventually come to understand what it means to be one.