Author's Note: Hi guys, sorry it's been so long. Life has been crazy. No other excuse...so here's chapter 7.

7

Leonardo

"Ow," remarked Leo as he stood up and rubbed his shell.

"Boo-Yah!" exclaimed Raph with one shinai up above his head. "That's four wins baby!"

"Yeah, out of nine," remarked Donnie slightly annoyed.

"Yeah Leo still beat you dude," Mikey agreed.

"Well I'll take four out of nine," Raph defended. "Besides how many wins did you guys get again? Oh that's right...three. Wait a sec," Raph said suddenly with a sly grin, "I'm beginning to have a flashback. I think this has happened before...oh yeah that's right; welcome back 'B-team!'"

"Raph I'll kill you," threatened Mikey half-heartedly.

"Don't worry Mikey," said Donnie calmly. "The 'B-team' holds his allowance." All four of them laughed aloud at that. Leo had to admit he missed this. Sure they were bickering, but it was something you could only do with family. They had spent all night sparring. Leo had only won two more three-on-one's before having to use his second shinai. Like he had thought, his brothers had quickly restored their rusty skills and we're now once again his equals.

Leo had worked them hard all night and had made sure they were each good enough to win at least two three-on-ones. As usual Raph had rose to the challenge first. Mikey and Donnie had needed a few pointers, or rather since they had already once known it, reminders. This had been a task their father had appointed him since they had been five years old. Leo had not always been the leader; Splinter had decided that when the Foot and the Krang had become too large a problem, that they would need a leader. It was only then that Leo had been made their leader. However, he had been fulfilling many of these duties since he was little, only to later realize that their father had always wanted Leo as leader.

One of the things Splinter had stressed adamantly was that Leo was to train endlessly. At first it had seemed that Leo had not learned what his brothers had and so he needed extra lessons, but it was soon apparent that Leo had actually picked the lesson up quicker. The reason for all the training, was to develop the habit of wanting to train. Leo surmised later that their father's purpose had been to motivate his brothers. Raph in particular was incredibly competitive and would refuse to be left behind. And as Raph became motivated, Donnie and Mikey would not wish to be left out either. In a way, he and his brothers were only ever as good as Leo pushed them to be. Even now, three years later, they had pushed themselves to regain their skills and catch up.

"Alright guys, easy there," laughed Leo. He turned to look at the clock in the dojo; it was ten minutes till nine o'clock. "Oh, shit!"

"What?" Mikey asked surprised.

"It's almost nine," Leo said shaking his head.

"And that means what?" Raph asked.

"It means training will be starting soon," Leo answered. When he saw the confused and annoyed looks from his brothers he added. "Not for us."

"For who?" Donnie prompted now completely lost.

Leo let out a sigh as he gathered their shinai and placed them where they belonged. He motioned for his brothers to follow him to the front of the dojo where their father's crypt was. He sat down with his back to the crypt and looked at his brothers. "Sorry guys. I didn't think all that would have taken as long as it did. So here's the thing; there's a lot I need to tell you guys. Unfortunately, I don't have the time I need for everything so you'll just have to trust me." Mikey immediately nodded his head and after a moment Donnie did too. Raph contemplated a bit longer, but he too agreed in the end.

"Okay," Leo began, "so the short story is this; you three have been dealing with the mutants and I've tried to clean up the rest of the Foot. As you've no doubt already discovered, the Dream Clan are basically about half of the mutants you've been looking for. I don't know too much myself, but from what Karai told me when I saw her yesterday, they're basically freedom fighters; freedom fighters who have gone off the deep end. They basically want to prove their own superiority over humankind in retaliation to the government's way of handling the mutants. Karai thinks they're likely very organized and someone has been training them too. I wish I had more information for you guys about them, but when I got to Karai's I basically had to rush out immediately because her camera network around the city picked up the Dream Clan making a beeline for you guys who were dealing with that mutant ram. That was when I asked her if we could borrow those Foot outfits and the Shredder's armor."

"As for dealing with the Foot that's a different story. The Foot had deep roots in New York, but like you guys remember, with Karai's help I cleared the city in about a year. These last three years, however, were a little different; I had to start with each of the major cities around the country from scratch. There were a total of another eight separate headquarters in the U.S.: Boston, D.C., Miami, Dallas, Chicago, Denver, Los Angeles and Seattle." Mikey let out a long whistle as Donnie seemed to be doing calculations in his head. "Thankfully," continued Leo, "none of these headquarters were like New York. And I mean that in terms of organization and in terms of strength."

"Well, I guess that makes sense," said Raph, "after all, the Shredder was one bad dude. There can't be more of him." Leo said nothing. "Wait, seriously?"

Leo looked at the clock again and saw it was now only four minutes till nine o'clock. "Alright we're running out of time, so no more interruptions." He swallowed and then said, "The D.C. base took a bit longer because it was just me and later Marie, but the other bases had more mutant prisoners and slowly yet surely I gained allies. About three months ago I managed to finish taking down the L.A. HQ which was the last one and about as big as here. Now you're probably wondering where I was these last few months then," he saw them nod and then said, "Well the answer is Japan."

"Whoa, you went to the motherland?" Mikey asked.

"Dude, we're turtles," reasoned Donnie, "any pond on this side of the U.S. is our motherland."

"Oh right," nodded Mikey. He then turned to Leo and said, "So you went to the motherland?" Donnie let out a groan.

"Yeah I went to Japan to clear out the Foot once and for all...except I discovered something awful."

"What?" asked Raph.

"The Shredder was not the best ninja in the Foot clan!" It was quiet and the only noise was the sounds of his brother's jaws metaphorically hitting the floor. "Apparently," Leo continued, "being a leader of a Foot clan HQ in the U.S. isn't as prestigious as we thought it was. By my count there are at least four ninjas in Japan who could wipe the floor with the Shredder. These ninja are the leaders of the four major provinces in Japan. Luckily I had only gone to scout the HQs there because I almost didn't make it back alive."

Leo let the news stir for a moment and then said, "So, what does this have to do with us right? Well, apparently the Foot clan in Japan is outraged and disgraced with being forced out of the U.S., so they're ceasing all operations in Japan temporarily until they've exacted their revenge on us here in New York."

"Great news Leo," mocked Raph. "You just had to piss off the Foot clan, huh?" Leo smiled at that. He wasn't worried about Raph; that dumbass was in. Donnie and Mikey smiled too, so it looked like war was evident.

"And to be honest I'd love to tell you more bad news, but the rest will have to wait till after this morning's training," Leo laughed. "Don't worry there's a lot of good news too and plenty of surprises. Just promise me one thing guys...even if you have no idea what's going on, just go with it." Leo stood and motioned for his brothers to follow suit. They stood on either side of him with their hands behind their backs and with their backs to their father's crypt. As the clock struck nine the dojo door opened and Marie walked in with all the other fifty plus mutants. They all filed in and kneeled before them in rows and columns. The last to enter was Tammy who closed the door and sat near it out of the way.

"What's she doing here," whispered Raph who was to Leo's right.

"I asked her to sit in on this," answered Leo quietly. "I figured she might be interested." Raph didn't say anything which Leo took to mean he was mad, but couldn't come up with a legitimate reason as to why he was mad, so he had decided to stay quiet.

Once it settled, Leo took a step forward and began speaking. "Good morning, I see we all found our way here this morning and on time no less…" There were a few snickers scattered across the dojo, but Leo hushed them. "Today we find ourselves in a different place once again; new to you, but not to me. I spent the majority of my life falling down in this sewer and I'm sure you will all enjoy doing so as well. We will pick up where we left off last time and afterwards we'll take the exam." Some nervousness perked up in a few, but Leo continued and said, "You all met them yesterday, but my brothers here will be assisting me in your tutelage from this point forward. Each of them is as skilled as I am and I expect you to give them the same respect as you do me." There were some murmurs, which were quickly quieted down and then Leo said, "Now we'll begin with katas; Hajime!"

At once they began going through their katas and the lesson had begun. The turtles walked among them, helping a student here, correcting a student there. About two hours in after katas and sparring for the students, Leo and his brothers regrouped near the front. "So? What do you guys think?" Leo asked quietly.

"Leo, you're a sensei!," Mikey whispered excitedly.

"So are you Mikey...all of us are."

"Dude...you just blew my mind. But ya know something?"

"What?"

"I really wished we had a tail like Splinter did."

"Why," asked Donnie confused.

"Because," continued Mikey, "he could fix katas and point out weaknesses with just his tail. That way he could keep his arms behind his back all mysterious-ninja-like." They all stared at Mikey incredulously until Raph spoke.

"What did you guys expect?" he taunted, "We asked for Mikey's opinion; we got what we deserved."

"So…" Donnie began after a moment, "you decided to train them like we were?"

"Well," Leo began, "we stayed alive because of Sensei's teachings. Let's face it guys, but we would have been dead long ago had it not been for ninjutsu. I just figured since we had been lucky enough to learn how to protect ourselves then why shouldn't they."

"Do you think we're ready for this?" asked Raph quietly.

"Honestly?" Leo asked back, "I have no idea. I mean objectively while Sensei had been much older than us and had grown up in a ninja clan, he didn't have nearly the life or death experience we had with our wars against the Foot, the Krang and every other alien race and mutation we ended up against. So in terms of experience I'm not sure. As for skill, again no bias, I'd say each one of us are about as skilled as Sensei was."

"Even Mikey?" asked Donnie and Raph in unison.

Leo let out a small chuckle and nodded. Mikey crossed his arms, puffed out his chest and said, "I told you fools before; 'you can call me Sensei Michelangelo.'" They all strained themselves to quietly chuckle as the students finished their spars.

"Ok then," began Donnie wiping a tear from his eye, "so with the Dream clan causing a ruckus and the Foot returning, you plan to have us as a third force?"

"Exactly," winked Leo, "but you'll have to wait until after the exam for the last surprise. I should probably have asked you guys first, but I'd be surprised if you guys weren't game."

"Alright we'll bite," said Raph as he watched the students, "what exam?"

Instead of responding, however, Leo commanded aloud, "Ya-me!" At once all the students stopped and returned to their positions kneeling in rows and columns. Once everything settled down Leo said, "As you all know, today is a special day for us; those of you who have been with me the longest will be taking their exam today. If you pass this exam you will become full fledged ninja: genin!" Genin were the first rank a ninja could obtain out of three: genin, chunin and finally jonin. Originally, ninja ranks were more about status, with important figures as the jonin acting as bureaucrats and making the decisions, the chunin as their middle men acting as assistants and the genin essentially the only actual ninjas since they carried out the actual missions. Now it was used to judge both skill and mindset of a ninja where jonin had immense skill and served as leaders and teacher and chunin were able to watch over and guide their fellow ninja. Upon hearing the word 'genin' there were a few murmurs, but overall the class stayed quiet. "Now let's not waste any time. Groups 2 through 5 please move to the walls of the dojo. Group 1, please line up side by side before us."

There was a ruffle of movement as the underclassmen moved to the dojo walls and then it was quiet again. The group about to be tested seemed calm and ready, but Leo could tell they were nervous. "As I'm sure you have all been dying to find out what the test will consist of, I'll just come out and say it. Firstly, this test will not be simply about your skills in combat as since you are taking the exam in the first place that means your skills are high enough. And since skill alone is not the determining factor for this exam I feel we can forego spars." A huge sigh of relief swept the exam candidates.

"Don't they seem happy?" whispered Mikey with a grin.

"Probably because Leo's girlfriend would have stomped them in one-on-ones," commented Raph quietly.

"Yeah, she's definitely the best of the group," Donnie agreed. "Her movements are a bit more fluid and her attacks don't have quite as much unnecessary movements compared to the rest."

"She'll pass," agreed Raph, "she's past genin; not near chunin of course, but past genin. I'm more interested in the two on the end there." Mikey and Donnie took a look at the two Raph was talking about. The woman was a falcon-human hybrid. Her skin was smooth, but thicker, her feet were talons, her hands had long sharp nails and much of her body was covered with tufts of hair that was a cross between human hair and bird feathers. Behind her back, currently tucked away, were two massive wings with a span of fifteen feet. Her features were more human than most mutants, particularly her face that with the exception of her thicker skin, red eyes and slightly longer beak/nose looked almost normal. Her hair was literally 'feathered' and a rich, natural, tawny brown color that was pulled back by a red hairband. She wore a knee-long, bright, red dress with a slit down the side and a black belt to make it functional for combat. On her one forearm she wore a bracer. The man beside her was a wolf-human hybrid and was almost as tall as they were. He was lean and muscular with gray fur and black eyes. Unlike many of the other mutants present he was dressed like a ninja with black cargo pants, wrappings on his feet and hands, and a black tank top. On his belt many shuriken could be seen. He wore a serious expression, but not an angry one.

Mikey and Donnie nodded their heads. These two were definitely very skilled; not quite as good as Marie, but very good. "Okay," said Leo aloud pulling their attention back, "the rules are simple: you begin behind the black line on the other side of the dojo. When I tell you to begin, all you have to do is make it here before us, take one of these medallions from the basket," he said raising one of the bronze medallions over his head to indicate it to the students, "and make it back across the line with the medallion in hand. That's it." As the students begun gushing happily at such an easy test Leo caught his brothers' eyes and saw the snickers they were suppressing. They all knew this test...and had hated it. After the dramatic pause he continued and said, "There are ten medallions so good luck!" There was a stunned silence as the candidates took it in. Twelve candidates, but only ten medallions; at least two would fail.

With that Leo dropped the medallion back into the basket, turned around and sat in his spot between Raph and Donnie. He was seated a bit in front of his brothers, which annoyed him because they had purposely sat a bit back to keep the attention on him. He felt it made him look like the leader, which while he was this wasn't meant to be like that. Growing up he was used to the extra attention as they had made him their liaison with Splinter for whenever they were in trouble or needed something. Of course that worked both ways as he tended to take the verbal punishment for them all from Splinter when they got in trouble too. At first being the leader had been his pride and joy, but one day a little before the mutant-ninja war he had discovered that this pride had turned into ego and it had made many poor decisions and even his skills flawed. It was then, he realized, that a leader was meant to guide and help those around him grow instead of just giving orders. Soon after this understanding was when he finally sharpened his skills to where they should have been all along. The leader was not the strongest and a gift to those around him, but those around the leader were the gifts and the leader became stronger because of them. Still, Leo thought sourly gazing at his brothers who had positioned him in front; old habits died hard. His students were assembled on the other side of the room now behind the black line. This was a difficult test, but he was confident in his pupils. His brothers were keen to observe also. When they were all ready Leo began the test. "You may use any and all skills available to you for this test. The only rules are that you must get a medallion and return with it past the black line. However," Leo shouted for them all to take heed, "if you harm any of your fellow students observing, you will not only fail, but you can kiss your chances of ever becoming a ninja good-bye!" He let it sink in and then finished, "Hajime!"