His muscles saved him.

His carapace and plastron too but that was a given. They were bulletproof, so it was no wonder that shuriken, throwing stars, and even arrows couldn't penetrate.

Exposed skin was another matter. Theirs were tough and leathery and far greater protection against injury than the thin flesh that held humans together.

He wrapped the lower part of his arms and his hands to protect them from the blades of his foes. Fighting with swords against swords carried with it an extra hazard. His brothers could use their weapons to block and deflect the deadly steel of an opponent's sword. For Leonardo, the clash of blade on blade was always a greater risk.

Surrounded by Foot and separated from his brothers, Leonardo battled hard. One by one his foes went down, no match for his extraordinary fighting skills and brute strength.

They fell back but did not run. Perhaps the threat of what their Master would do to them if they abandoned the fight kept them there. It had taken their enemies a very long time to run one of their quarry to ground and they would not stop until he was killed or captured.

Leonardo could take this lot. They were no match for him. Though if they ran he would not pursue them; he was too smart for that.

He was also smart enough to know that if he waited for their reinforcements to arrive he might lose his advantage. And his freedom.

Lifting his sword, Leonardo prepared to charge. That's when the arrows and throwing stars began to fly.

Practice had made him adept at dodging and deflecting such weapons. He couldn't avoid them all. A shuriken found its mark in his thigh; an arrow buried itself in his upper arm.

Neither hit anything vital. The muscles he'd built through hard work and exercise were too solid. They'd thought to cripple him, to make him incapable of holding his swords. They were wrong.

Back at home he told the tale as his brothers helped to dig the leftover reminders of the battle out of his skin. He'd been hit in a couple of other places but hadn't really noticed. Maybe it was the adrenaline or his focus.

Or maybe it was those lifesaving muscles.