i know this is from the first season, but i just thought of it today. set during the episode 'Turtle Temper' the lesson Raph learns with the arrows isn't the only lesson taught in that exercise.
"But this time, insult, Raphael." Splinter instructed. The three of them looked at each other, lowering the bows.
"We, insult...him?" Donnie asked, pointing an arrow at his brother. "And he can't fight back?" Splinter nodded while Raph frowned. "I'm starting to like this plan." he chuckled, Raising the bow again.
"You move like a bloated buffalo!" Mikey teased, firing the arrow, which Raph dodged.
"I do not!" he said defensively.
"And you're always whining." Leo said, hitting Raph's shell with one, "poor me, nobody understands me."
"You don't understand me!" Raph said as two more arrows his his shell.
"What's the matter Raph? Need a bottle?" Leo smirked.
"And his diaper change!" Mikey said. Firing an arrow into the side of his head. Raph growled and pun, trying to concentrate to no avail.
"Aww, are you gonna cry?" Leo asked, Raph growled in annoyance.
"I." he was hit, "am not." another arrow in the side of his head. "Gonna cry!" one stuck itself to his forehead.
"I wish this moment could last forever." Mikey sighed, Raph jumped up.
"This is stupid!" Raph said angrily, yanking the arrow off his head.
"Aw, it didn't." Mikey said in disappointment. Raph stood in front of master splinter and bowed his head.
"My son, you must ignore insults that are fired like weapons. You will go out and get this video, using words, not strength."
"Yes master." Raph sighed, pulling another arrow off. He was dismissed and walked out, the three others turned to follow him.
"My sons." Splinter said, they turned.
"Yes master splinter?" Leo asked, frowning curiously.
"Have you three learned your lesson?" Splinter asked, they looked at each other in confusion.
"What are you talking about?" Donnie asked, "that was for Raph right?" Splinter raised an eyebrow. "We...we were helping you prove a point?"
"Hmm." Splinter stroked his beard. "I see. So, my sons, you could not have possibly learned anything from this experience?"
"It was...fun?" Mikey guessed. Splinter stared at him.
"No!" he said, "kneel my sons." the three of them knelt, looking as baffled as ever. "Words are as much of a weapon as anything." he said, holding up an arrow, "if you are aimed at, you must ignore the words to dodge the weapon." the three of them nodded, he had just said this to Raphael. "But, if you are the archer," Splinter mimed drawing a bow. "You find that you get into the habit of aiming and shooting. And you must remember that your words are weapons."
"Sensei?" Leo frowned, "what do you mean."
"Many times i have heard you boys, including Raphael, i know, teasing each other and insulting each other." they glanced at each other. "And it seems that you have gotten into the habit of shooting your bows when it is not necessary." he paused for a moment, then spoke.
"Once there was a young boy." he began, "whose father was a very rich man, and the day this boy turned twelve years old, his father stated that he was now a man." the three turtles still looked confused. "And as a man, he gave his son a new bow an arrow to play and hunt with and to show his friends. The boy, still a boy however much he believed he was a man, accepted the gift and ran off to enjoy the afternoon. Now, this wealthy man owned seven very expensive cattle. They lived in a large pasture to the back of their home. The boy started learning to shoot his bow using targets he attached to the fence, and he would aim very carefully, draw the bow back gently, and then shoot." he looked at the three of them in silence for a moment. "In time, the boy became a very good archer, and he became cocky in his own skills. He would no longer use targets to show off for his friends, he would stand on the fence and aim for trees across the pasture, and most of the time he hit his mark. But soon, the boy began to become careless. He would not take the proper time to aim before shooting, and he would pull the arrows back harder than they must be. And one day, when he was showing off for his classmates, he was more careless than ever, for he wanted to show them that he could shoot the tree's without much effort. And then when he went to retrieve his arrow, he found his father's most prized oxen lying dead in the field with his arrow in the center of it's forehead." Splinter stood. "Be careful with your bows and arrows, my sons." and with that the old rat walked to his room and closed the door. The three of them looked at each other.
"Did we just get scolded?" Don wondered, Mikey shrugged.
"I kinda tuned out when he said something about a rich guy," he explained, "boring!"
"We weren't scolded." Leo decided, "we were taught." the blue masked leader thought of the times they had thrown insults like weapons in the past, far too many times. And soon enough, one of the carelessly thrown insults would hit the wrong mark. And someone would be hurt, or worse. At that moment, Leo resolved that whenever he found himself carelessly tossing words around, he would correct himself. He wanted to avoid any stray arrows hitting their marks.