5. Off Like a Speeding Bullet!

5 Off Like a Speeding Bullet! An hour later, Stanley and Oda Nobu stood on the platform of the Shinkansen—Japan's famous bullet train! Oda Nobu held on to Stanley's hand tightly. Even so, as the big sleek train whooshed into the station, Stanley felt himself lifted ever-so-slightly off his feet. Oda squeezed his hand tighter. "Today, I will show you the westernmost tip of Japan, Stanley-san, which is also the southernmost tip," he said. "There we will see many wonderful things, including the first cherry blossoms of the year. Perhaps we will chase the opening blossoms all the way to the north." He smiled warmly.

像一颗飞驰的子弹!一个小时后，史丹利和Oda Nobu站在了新干线的站台上——日本著名的子弹头列车!Oda Nobu紧紧抓住Stanley的手。 即便如此，当那辆又大又光滑的火车呼啸着进站时，斯坦利感到自己被轻轻地抬了起来。 小田把他的手捏得更紧了。 “今天，我将向你们展示日本的最西端，斯坦利山，也是最南端，”他说。 “在那里我们将看到许多奇妙的东西，包括今年第一次樱花盛开。 也许我们可以一直往北追开的花。” 他热情地笑了。

Stanley felt much better than he had the night before. He felt proud again to be Oda Nobu's personal ninja. Then something occurred to him. "Oda-san," he said. "Where are your bodyguards today?" Oda Nobu laughed. "I'm afraid I gave them the wrong instructions. They are waiting for me at the movie studio. But so what?" He smiled and spread his hands. "I have my own personal ninja with me. Why do I need bodyguards?" That made Stanley feel proud, but also a little nervous. What if something happened? He was responsible for the great movie star's safety now. He and he alone. Then again, Oda Nobu was the most famous warrior on the planet. Who would dare try to hurt him? Stanley thought about these things as they settled into the comfortable chairs on the bullet train. Almost immediately, the train slid out of the station. Within moments, they were racing through the Japanese countryside. "The Shinkansen travels at nearly three hundred kilometers per hour," Oda Nobu said, as the towns and fields outside became a blur.

斯坦利感觉比前一天晚上好多了。 他再次为成为织田伸的私人忍者而感到自豪。 然后他想到了一件事。 “尾田先生，”他说。“你的保镖今天在哪儿?”Oda Nobu笑了。 “恐怕我给了他们错误的指示。 他们在电影制片厂等我。 但那又怎样?”他微笑着摊开双手。 “我有自己的忍者。 我为什么需要保镖?”这让斯坦利感到自豪，但也有点紧张。 如果发生了什么事怎么办? 他现在要对这位伟大影星的安全负责。 他和他独自一人。话又说回来，Oda Nobu是这个星球上最著名的战士。 谁敢伤害他? 他们坐在子弹头列车上舒适的椅子上，斯坦利想着这些事情。 火车几乎立刻滑出了车站。 不一会儿，他们就在日本乡间飞驰。 “新干线的速度接近每小时300公里，”Oda Nobu说，外面的城镇和田野变得模糊起来。

"Wow!" said Stanley. "That's… that's nearly two hundred miles per hour!" He suddenly realized his teachers were right. Math was really useful! As they rode, Oda Nobu reached into his pocket and pulled out a small square of shiny paper. He made a few quick folds and twists, and there was a perfect little frog! He gave it to Stanley, pulled another square of paper from his pocket and— swish, snap, snick!—presented Stanley with an elegant long-necked crane.

“哇!”斯坦利说。“那是……那几乎是每小时两百英里!”他突然意识到他的老师是对的。 数学真的很有用!在他们骑马的时候，织田信把手伸进口袋，掏出一小块亮闪闪的纸。 他快速地折了几下，又扭了几下，一只完美的小青蛙就出现了!他把它给了斯坦利，从口袋里掏出另一张正方形的纸，然后——嗖、啪、吱!——送给斯坦利一只优雅的长颈鹤。

"You're really good at origami, Oda-san!" Stanley said. "Almost as good as you are at karate!" Just then, the door of the train car opened and a man walked in. He was wearing a dark suit and dark glasses. He noticed Oda Nobu and slowed down, before walking past. Stanley saw that Oda Nobu was suddenly frowning and tightly gripping the armrest of his seat. "Oda-san!" Stanley said. "Are you all right?" Oda Nobu released his grip on the armrest. He nodded. "Stanley-san," he said, "I must tell you something." For a few moments, Oda Nobu stared out the window at the hills rushing by. "You and I are very much alike, Stanley-san," he said at last.

“你真的很擅长折纸，尾田先生!”斯坦利说。 “几乎和你的空手道一样好!”就在这时，车厢门开了，一个男人走了进来。 他穿着深色西装，戴着墨镜。 他注意到了织田伸，放慢了脚步，然后走了过去。 斯坦利看到织田伸突然皱起眉头，紧紧抓住座位扶手。 “Oda-san !”斯坦利说。“你没事吧?”Oda Nobu松开了他紧握扶手的手。 他点了点头。“史丹利先生，”他说，“我必须告诉你一件事。” 织田信盯着窗外飞驰而过的群山，看了一会儿。 “你和我很像，史丹利先生，”他最后说。

"When I look at you, I see myself as a young boy." Stanley was stunned. "You were flat, too?" Oda Nobu laughed. "No. But I was also… different. In my own way." He turned to face Stanley. "Look at me, Stanley-san. What do you see?" Stanley smiled. "I see the greatest movie star in the whole world!" "Look more closely," Oda Nobu said. "What do you see when you watch my movies? You see this handsome face. This perfect smile. You hear this deep voice. "Stanley-san, when I was your age, I wanted to be a karate master. But this face, and this smile, and this voice made me different in other ways. And so, instead, I became an actor." Stanley listened quietly as Oda Nobu spoke. "Instead of learning karate, I learned to act," he continued. "I only pretend to know karate, in the movies." "But I've seen your movies!" Stanley said. "You are a master!" Oda Nobu shook his head sadly. "No, Stanley-san. When it is time for a big fight scene, I am not

“当我看着你的时候，我觉得自己还是个小男孩。” 斯坦利惊呆了。“你也是扁的?”Oda Nobu笑了。 “没有。但我也……不同了。 用我自己的方式。”他转过身来面对斯坦利。 “看着我，斯坦利先生。你看到了什么?”斯坦利笑了。 “我看到了世界上最伟大的电影明星!”“仔细看看，”Oda Nobu说。 “你看我的电影时看到了什么?” 你看这张英俊的脸。 这完美的微笑。你听到这个低沉的声音。 “史丹利先生，我在你这么大的时候，我想成为空手道大师。 但这张脸，这微笑，这声音让我在其他方面变得不同。 于是，我成了一名演员。” 史丹利静静地听着织田信说话。 “我学的不是空手道，而是表演，”他继续说道。 “我只在电影里假装懂空手道。” “但我看过你的电影!”斯坦利说。 “你真是个大师!”织田信悲伤地摇了摇头。 “不,Stanley-san。当要拍大打斗戏的时候，我不会

in it. It is my stunt double you see in the movies. He looks like me. But unlike me, he really is a karate master." Stanley couldn't believe what he was hearing. "It is why I have bodyguards," Oda Nobu said. "On the movie screen, I can defeat all enemies. In the real world, I can defeat no one. I cannot even use my ninja star. It is only to make me appear tough." They rode in silence for a few minutes. "Stanley-san," Oda Nobu spoke. "Here is a lesson I learned and that I wish to share with you. These things that make me special—this face, this smile, this voice—these things make me what I am, but not who I am. Do you understand?" "I think so," Stanley said. But he wasn't sure. "Who I am is the boy who wanted to be a karate master," Oda Nobu said, and placed his hand over his heart. "He is still in here. But I forgot about him for too long. I got confused by what I am. And now I think it is too late for him." Oda Nobu looked very serious now. "Stanley-san, your flatness is what makes you special. But you must remember this: Being flat is what you are. It is not who you are. Who you are is a very

在里面。你在电影里看到的就是我的特技替身。 他长得像我。但与我不同的是，他是真正的空手道大师。” 斯坦利简直不敢相信他所听到的。 “这就是为什么我有保镖，”Oda Nobu说。 “在电影屏幕上，我可以打败所有的敌人。 在现实世界里，我谁也打不过。 我甚至不会用我的忍者之星。 这只是为了让我显得坚强。” 他们默默地骑了几分钟。 “斯坦利先生。”Oda Nobu说。 “这是我学到的一个教训，我希望与你们分享。 这些东西使我与众不同——这张脸，这微笑，这声音——这些东西使我成为我，但不是我是谁。 你明白吗?”“我想是的，”斯坦利说。 但他不确定。“我是那个想成为空手道大师的男孩，”织田信把手放在心口上说。 “他还在这里。但我忘记他太久了。 我对自己的身份感到困惑。 现在我想对他来说已经太迟了。” Oda Nobu现在看起来很严肃。 “史丹利先生，你的平淡让你与众不同。 但你必须记住这一点:你是扁平的。 这不是你是谁。你是谁