A/N IMPORTANT! Over the last two weeks I've had some internet problems, and they only got fixed last Friday. But that cut into my writing time, and also my enthusiasm. I want to finish this fic, but to do so I could use a beta reader to hash out ideas for the last few chapters. Anyone interested in the job please PM me ASAP. Please and Thank you.


Chapter 53

Back to the Future

Once it sank in this was really happening, the five teenagers bolted.

To sum things up, they were in a country on the other side of the world from where they should be, quite possibly a time period not their own, they were still tired and sore from their medieval adventure with Renet, and now they were being chased by ninjas while still wearing the Mazes and Mutants outfits said Apprentice Time Master had given them.

Needless to say, it was a strange day, even by their standards.

Unfortunately for them, the ninjas in red clothes gave chase to the teenagers, before surrounding them once again.

Like lightning, one the squad attacked the teenagers, making them scatter and defend themselves as best they could.

But these ninjas were far more skilled than the Foot Ninjas or Foot-Bots had ever been, and they had numbers on their side. It was quickly became clear that this was a battle the teenagers could not win.

"These guys are good!" shouted Donnie as barely dodged a sword swipe to the neck, though it still managed to slice off the wizard beard he's been sporting since Renet had cast her spell.

"Less admiring, more butt kicking," Miwa snapped back as she locked swords with the own opponent, only to be sucker punched by another ninja coming in from the left.

Raph barely dodged a volley of shuriken, which imbedded themselves in a tree not far from where Leo had another ninja in a headlock, giving the boy in the knight costume a good look at the crest blazoned upon them.

"They're not just ninja," he called to the others. "They're Hamato Clan! Father's-"

Before he could finish, the ninja in his grip managed to pull free, and punched Leo in the face, knocking off his helmet.

"But the Hamato Clan doesn't exist anymore! Right?" shouted Raph, whose sais were locked above his head as he held off his own opponent (and hoping that none of these ninja understood English, otherwise they'd be in even bigger trouble for saying such things).

Before anyone could answer him, the ninja he was fighting head butted Raph and kicked him back. The rest of his siblings received similar treatment and they were all tossed together in a heap as the ninjas closed in on them once again.

"What is going on here?" asked a chillingly familiar voice in Japanese, making the five teenagers tense.

The crowd of ninjas parted, allowing a Japanese man who looked barely in his twenties, and dressed in crimson Hamato robes to step past them.

"Shredder?" Leo whispered as he and his siblings all jolted in recognition of the man who had (and someday would) make their lives hell.

Oroku Saki didn't seem to hear the knight, and he sneered at the sight of the siblings. "Is this what all this fuss is about?" Saki asked to the ninja squad. "A group of silly cosplayers?"

The squad of ninjas shifted as if sheepish of their superior's assessment.

Saki then turned to glare at the teenagers. Addressing them, he demanded, "Who are you and what are you doing here? This is private land?"

The siblings hesitated, and exchanged glances wonder what they could even say. It wasn't like they could introduce themselves as the future children of Saki's adoptive brother and the love of his life. With how young (and not horribly burn-scared) their future enemy looked, who knew if Shen and Yoshi were even dating yet.

Needless to say, that moment was a really rotten time for Renet's spell to wear off, reverting Leo, Raph, and Mikey back to mutant turtles, and shifting Donnie and Miwa into their own black ninja garb in a flash of golden light.

Instantly the surrounding ninjas jerked away from the five teenagers with cries of alarm. The teens themselves weren't much better off as they tensed in shock at what had just happened.

"Yokai!" gasped Saki in horror at the sight of them. "This cannot be!"

It was then that Mikey recovered enough of his wits to throw down a smoke bomb, and allow he and his siblings to vanish into the trees.

The ninja squad stared around in confusion as the smoke cleared to show the strange intruders were no longer there.

"Saki-san, what were they?" asked one of the ninja.

"I do not know," Saki replied. "But I will find out."

He then turned to lead the squad away, intending to report this finding to his father.


The second they were sure they had ditched the ninja squad and freaky young Shredder, Mikey let out a sigh of relief. "Whew, close call, dudes. Awesome save by Mikey, thank you very much."

"Yeah, yeah, give yourself a pat on the back," said Miwa as she ran next to him.

Mikey grinned, and tried to do just that, only to find that his shell was in the way, making himself look very awkward as he tried to run and bend his arm around his shell at the same time.

Donnie, meanwhile, was looking thoughtful. "Oroku Saki was part of the Hamato Clan before he became the Shredder. From what out parents told us, at some point around the time Mother and Father got engaged to be married, he found out about his true heritage and stormed off, never to be seen again until…"

"Until the night Mother got those scars on her back," said Raph darkly, thinking of the ugly marks that had adorn his mother's back for as long as he could remember.

Donnie winced and nodded. "Right," he confirmed.

Leo did the calculations in his head. "So we're at least eighteen or nineteen years in the past before he left. But why here? Why now?"

"Who knows?" growled Raph angrily. "Twenty bucks says it's all Renet's fault. She doesn't know the first thing about time travel."

Miwa however looked contemplative. "Maybe we're here so we can kill Shedder before he becomes the problem we know he'll be."

Her brothers fell silent as that thought was posed to them. None of them had taken a life before, but to off Shredder before he could murder their clan, scar their mother's back, drive them from their family home, attack them mercilessly in his thirst for vengence, and directly or indirectly cause the mutations of four of their family members was a very tempting thought.

But in the end, Leo regretfully shook his head. "As much as I hate to admit it, no. If Shredder had died before he could leave the clan, the four of us would have never been born in New York, and probably none of us would've be there to stop the Kraang."

Miwa looked grudging, but conceded Leo's point. Terrible as Shredder was, Earth would probably have been screwed if the Hamatos hadn't been in New York to stop, and continue to fight the Kraang.

"And if you want to be totally accurate, we might end up not even existing in the first place," added Donnie. "If events don't play out as they're supposed to, who's to say Mother and Father would, er, conceive us, and you know…"

Raph made a face of disgust. "Thanks Donnie. I so needed that mental image," he said sarcastically.

"Yo guys, check it!" Mikey called from up ahead. They turned to see the youngest crouched by some rocks as he stared at something in the distance.

Moving to stand by him, they followed his gaze to see a dojo with the Hamato crest decorating it. "That's Dad's old dojo, right?" asked Mikey, already knowing the answer.

Leo's face turned serious, and he began making his way towards the dojo silently. "Come on, ninjas," he whispered over his shoulder. "Maybe Father and Mother are in there."

As the teenagers crouched hidden outside the dojo's door, they could hear the sound of Oroku Saki's voice floating out of the building.

"I saw it with my own eyes," said Saki as he sat stiffly in front of a wizened old man, surrounded by more ninja, most likely from the patrol the teens had encountered. "At first we thought they were simply teenagers in costumes. But then they changed right before us. Three of them were small green men in masks, clearly the yokai of legend, and they were accompanied by two ninja I have never seen before."

"Who's the old guy?" whispered Mikey in confusion.

Miwa elbowed him to be quiet. "That's our grandfather, Dummy. He died before even I was born," she hissed.

Mikey's eyes widened in wonder, and he looked at the old man with new interest, "Grandpa?"

Sensing what his brother was thinking, Leo placed a restraining hand on the back of Mikey's shell. "I know you wanna meet him, Mikey," the leader whispered. "But we can't be seen."

Mikey looked crestfallen, but stayed hidden.

The teens' grandfather, Hamato Yuuta, listened to Saki's story silently, his face betraying no emotion.

But before the old man could say anything in response, laughter rang out through the dojo.

"Yokai?" said a familiar voice as an equally familiar face stepped into the room. "Your imagination has run wild, Saki."

The five siblings could stop the gasps of shock that burst out of them at the sight of the man only a few years older than they were.

Drawing back, Leo shared a goggle-eyed look with his brothers and sister. "Whoa, young Father," he breathed.

"He looks like he did in those old photos," whispered Miwa, remembering one of the few photo albums Shen managed to salvage when she and Yoshi fled to New York.

"He looks so weird without his beard," Mikey muttered, leaning further into the door to get a better look.

Worried he'd be spotted, Raph jerked forwards and grabbed Mikey, yanking him back into hiding.

None of them noticed how Hamato Yuuta's eyes flickered in their direction briefly before focusing back on his sons before him.

Yoshi seemed not to have noticed the stir he'd caused, and sauntered over to stand by Saki with a smirk. "Small green men? Spirits? Ninja aside from those in our clan? Monsters?" He laughed and patted Saki on the head in a fond but patronizing way. "Your head has always been in the clouds, brother. The only magic in these forests is there when Chung I is visiting, and he is off in China at the moment."

"Do not be too dismissive of the supernatural world, Yoshi," said Yuuta calmly. "Chung I is not the only source of mysticism within it. There are many dimensions, many beings that permeate what we call reality."

"He has no idea," mumbled Miwa, thinking of her own multi-dimensional adventures.

"My apologies, Father," said Yoshi, bowing to the Ninja Master before taking a seat next to his adopted brother. "Please, continue Saki. Let us hear more of this interesting tale," he added, his tone making it clear he still didn't believe a word of it.

Saki scowled and rounded on Yoshi. "Do not mock me, Yoshi!" he snapped. "I know what I saw!"

Any other angry words were cut off as Yuuta began coughing into his hand, looking sicker and frailer than before. "Some legends say, when the yokai arrives, tragedy is sure to follow."

Those listening failed to see the old man's eyes flicker towards the eavesdropping siblings once again.

Mikey, meanwhile, shot a glance at his siblings and asked, "Wait, so they think we're yokai? Like in Mom's stories?"

"Apparently," said Raph gruffly, remembering how Shen had mentioned his resemblance to a kappa when he first mutated months ago.

"Or at least that you three are, anyway," added Miwa. "I'm not sure what they think of us."

"So our father, our grandfather, and our mortal enemy think you three are mythical Japanese monsters. Just great, as if this couldn't get anymore complicated," muttered Donnie sarcastically.

Leo sent a glare at his siblings, and held his finger to his lips. "Shh," he hissed. "How many times do I have to tell you guys that ninjas are silent!"

All Leo got for his troubles were four silent raspberries blown in his direction.

While the five of them were having that exchange, Yuuta had risen to his feet, and left the room, most of the other ninjas filing out after him until only Yoshi and Saki were left.

With a gruff sigh, Saki rose to his feet, and moved to stand on one end of the tatami mats as Yoshi mimicked him on the other side of the room, and prepared to spar.

"I tell you, Yoshi, we all saw them," said Saki as the two bowed stiffly to each other.

"It reminds me of the yokai friends we invented as children," said Yoshi as he shifted into a fighting position and the two began circling each other. "Remember Saki?"

Then with a cry, both men rushed forwards to strike.

The five watching teenagers were awed by the speed and precision of their father and future enemy, but even as they fought they continued their conversation.

"You never listen to me," growled Saki as he locked his arms against Yoshi's, trying to out muscle his opponent. "Just like Tang Shen!"

Yoshi jolted at the mention of the woman they both loved, and Saki used that to his advantage to knee Yoshi in the gut.

Knocked back a few steps, Yoshi recovered and scowled at his brother. "Yet again you speak of Shen?" he said angrily, only to duck as Saki aimed a kick at his head.

"You care nothing for her," snapped Saki. "Only for the clan! Only for yourself!"

That made Yoshi angry, and with a series of precise blows, he threw Saki to the ground hard, making his future children wince as the saw the impact.

Yoshi stood over where Saki lay, arms crossed as he tried to reign in his temper. "That is not true, Brother!" he protested. He then took a deep breath, and said in a more sympathetic voice "I have always been there for you."

He then held out his hand to help Saki to his feet, only for the latter to smack the hand away in rage, making Yoshi draw back with a hurt expression on his face.

Saki took no notice of it, or simply didn't care as he growled up at Yoshi, anger permeating his every feature.

But before he could snap at Yoshi again, he saw movement out of the corner of his eye, and he turned just in time to see the doors to the outside snap closed, and five figures bolt away into the woods.

"What?" said Saki, as he jumped to his feet, and both he and Yoshi hurried over to investigate.

But when they opened the door, no one was there.

Trying to find some sign of their mysterious intruders, Yoshi glanced to the ground and paled. "Perhaps I was too hasty to dismiss your tale, Brother," he said.

At any other time, Saki would have rubbed such words in Yoshi's face. But upon following Yoshi's gaze, his own eyes widened, then narrowed dangerously.

Set into the mud outside the dojo was the clear impression of a footprint. One far too large and round to be human, and only consisting of three pointed toes.

Meanwhile, the five teenagers bolted through the forest away from the dojo as fast as they could, each trying to fully process what they'd just heard and witnessed.

But before they could get too far from the dojo, a stick came out of nowhere and caught Donnie around the foot, sending the genius sprawling to the ground with a cry, and causing the rest to stop and turn back.

Groaning as he got back to his feet, Donnie looked up to see the elderly man from the dojo frowning down at him.

"So my son was correct," Hamato Yuuta said as he stepped fully out of the foliage. "Three kappa have come to our land, and bring with them two ninja unknown to us."

He paused, and studied what he could see of Donnie's face more closely. "Or perhaps not," he amended with an unreadable expression on his face. "I've seen eyes like those before on my son, but you are not any relation I am aware of."

Donnie winced, knowing he got his red-brown eye color from his father's side of the family, but before he could respond, Raph was grabbing his arm in a vice grip, and dragging him away from the old man with a protective expression on his face.

The red wearing turtle made sure to shove Donnie behind him along with Mikey as they regrouped with the others, and made sure he was shielding the two of them as best he could. Hamato Yuuta may look like a frail old man, but Raph knew he was a ninja master in his own right, and could probably kill them all in a heartbeat if he was so inclined. He was not about to let his younger brothers be hurt, grandfather or not, and from the looks on Miwa and Leo's faces, they had the same idea as him.

Yuuta studied Raph's actions, before saying, "I have seen such brash and protective anger in my Yoshi as well," he said evenly, though his eyes regarded them all with suspicion. "Tell me, children, who are you?"

Leo hesitated, before stepping forwards and bowing respectfully to his grandfather. "I am Raion, and this is my family, Armonia, Iyasa, Gifuto, and Tenshi" he said, nodding to each sibling in turn. "We mean no harm to you or your clan, Master Yuuta, and I assure you that we will leave as soon as we are able."

Yuuta regarded the lead turtle stoically, but before he could reply, a new voice rang out through the forest.

"Father!" shouted Yoshi, running into view with Saki at his heels.

Yuuta turned to glance at his approaching sons, and when he turned back the five odd teenagers had vanished once again.

Frowning slightly, Yuuta followed his sons back to the dojo, listening with half an ear to their discovery of yokai footprints outside their home.

Something was odd about those yokai and their companions, more so than usual.

He just hoped that whatever it was would not bring about tragedy.

But he feared that outcome none-the-less.


After the initial panic at being trapped in a time before any of them were even born had died down, the teenagers found a secluded area of the forest to camp out and wait for Renet to come and bring them home.

Only the Assistant Time Master in Training never showed.

Days went by, and the sibling were no closer to get tingback to their own time period aside from taking it one day at a time.

Mikey moaned dramatically as he slurped at his plastic bowl of instant noodles and sat in front of their campfire. "We haven't had any real food in days," he moaned. "And we can't keep eating this instant stuff forever."

"If you'd rather forage for berries and bugs, be my guest," said Miwa pointedly, tossing another log onto the blaze. "But we have no idea how long we'll be here, and there's only so much we can afford with just Donnie and I doing odd jobs for cash."

That caused Mikey to duck his head guiltily. As the only ones still human shaped, Miwa and Donnie had been doing the most to provide the five of them with what they needed from the nearby city.

Raph groaned in annoyance, and asked out loud, "Is Renet ever gonna find us and bring us home? Seriously, I hate time travel."

Leo, who had been thinking hard for the last few hours, looked up and said, "I've been giving it some thought. Kinda seems like more than just coincidence we're here, right?"

Donnie did some mental calculations, and replied thoughtfully, "Well, the odds that we're in this exact time and place by sheer accident is eight hundred seventy-nine quintillion to one, but… if we're here for a reason, what is it?"

The other four exchanged glances and shrugged.

"Maybe Mi was onto something when she suggested taking out Shredder now," suggested Raph.

"Still a tempting idea, but I don't think so," said Leo. "That would change too much in our own time stream."

"Not to mention cause a paradox," added Donnie. "If Shredder died before we were born, then we may not have come back in time, nor would we have known to kill him now in the past."

Miwa stared at the campfire thoughtfully. "Maybe we're here to get stronger," she suggested.

Her brothers turned to look at her in confusion, so she explained her theory, "The Kraang have taken over New York City, and with the Shredder backing them, the odds are not in our favor of winning, even with the Mutanimals helping us. And even if we did beat the Kraang, there's still the matter of curing everyone. Maybe we've been sent back here in order to train through the years and become strong enough to fight them off once we catch back up to the present. It would also give Donnie more time to make enough retro-mutagen for everyone, provided we managed to get him what he needs to make it."

The quadruplets exchanged glances, turning that idea around in their heads. While not ideal, it wasn't too far out of the realm of possibility, but still…

"If that was the case, don't you think we'd have been dumped somewhere where we're less likely to mess up our own births?" Leo asked. "Somewhere more, you know, out of the way that's good for training, and with better access to the science stuff Donnie would need to do that?"

"Plus, the key ingredient for the retro-mutagen is April's DNA," added Donnie. "And she hasn't been born yet either."

Miwa shrugged. "I don't know, it's just a thought. And if Renet never shows, we really should start planning ahead."

The five of them sat in silence as she suggested that, hoping it wouldn't come to that, but fearing that might be the case, with only the crackling of the fire being heard in the still night.

They sat contemplating their plans and possibilities for who knows how long, when suddenly the snapping of a twig split the air like a gunshot through the quiet forest.

That was all the warning they had before a figure leaped from the trees, and aimed a sword at Donnie's unprotected back.

The genius barely managed to roll out of the way, and he and the rest of the ninjas were on their feet in seconds, darting for the tree for cover, and pulling out their weapons.

The figure straightened from his attack, and the glow of the campfire revealed it to be Saki, glaring murderously in their direction.

"Come out, wretched monsters," he called to them. "I will not allow you to curse this land."

The siblings made no move to follow Saki's demands, and prepared themselves to either fight or flee.

"Tenshi, we need an exit," hissed Leo as he drew his swords.

"I'm out of smoke bombs, dude," Mikey whispered back frantically.

Before any of them could suggest another course of action, Saki's sword was driven straight through the tree hiding Raph, missing his left shoulder by barely an inch.

Raph let out a strangled gasp at how close he'd come to impalement, and before he could gather his wits, Saki rounded the tree and hit the turtle in the face, sending him sprawling to the ground.

Before he could get back up, Saki loomed over him with his sword, and prepared to stab him through the back.

But before the blow could fall, Mikey's kusarigama chain wrapped around the blade, giving Leo enough time to grab Raph and help him to safety.

With a growl, Saki drew a kunai and sliced through the chain, before throwing the blade at Leo's back.

Not about to let their brother get stabbed in the back again, Donnie dove out of hiding, and deflected the kunai with the bladed end of his naginata.

Before Saki could attack her brothers a fourth time, Miwa leaped out of the trees with a cry, and clashed her tantō against the blade of his katana.

"You're the one who's a monster," the kunoichi hissed angrily as she locked her blade against Saki's.

Saki glowered at the girl, and with a snarl he shoved forward with enough force to knock Miwa off her feet, and land on the ground hard on her back.

Miwa groaned, but before she could recover Saki raised his sword over his head to strike.

Only for another figure to jump between them, and stop Saki's sword with a loud clang of metal.

Miwa looked up expecting to see one of her brothers, only to blink in surprise when she realized that it was a woman standing between her and Saki, dressed like she was ready for a night on the town (aside from the long knife in her hands locked against Saki's sword).

"What are you doing, Saki?" the woman demanded in a hauntingly familiar voice.

As Miwa gaped at the sight, the woman turned around and a hand was lowered into her point of view. Upon seeing who the hand belonged too, the downed kunoichi almost passed out.

"Are you alright?" asked a much younger and very much human Tang Shen kindly.

Shen's face then pinched in concern at the sight of the teenage girl, even though Miwa's scarf concealed most of her face, there was no mistaking the way her eyes were wide and goggling at the sight of the young woman.

It was all too much, and Miwa ignored the hand and bolted into the woods as fast as her legs could carry her.

Saki moved to chase her, but Shen stood in his way to block him.

"Step aside!" Saki demanded.

"No, I will not. Why are you attacking that poor girl, Saki?" demanded Tang Shen. "What could she have possibly done to deserve such treatment?"

"She and a boy are in league with the kappa plaguing this forest," snarled Saki. "We must get rid of them."

Shen looked like she didn't fully believe Saki's claim. "Kappa?" she asked in surprise.

Saki nodded at Shen, then his expression softened. "It is dangerous here tonight," he said to her. "Let me walk you home, Shen."

Shen hesitated, and drew back. "Thank you, Saki, but I can take care of myself. I am also meeting Yoshi soon, and…" she trailed off and hesitated, knowing such was a sore subject to Saki.

Saki scowled, and raised his hand like he was about to protest, before letting out a sigh, and turning to leave. There would be no finding the yokai and their companions tonight.

Shen also gave a sigh, sheathed her knife, and hid it away in her purse before turning to head towards where she was to meet Yoshi.

Though something told her she would not be having as much fun that night as she had anticipated.


"This is bad!"

The next morning after the attack from Saki, the five time-displaced siblings awoke to Donnie's shouting.

Bleary-eyed and exhausted from the run around the night before, Leo groaned as he sat up and looked over towards his panicking genius brother, who was staring at his cell phone with a horrified expression.

"What's bad, Donnie?" he asked tiredly.

"And can't it be bad later?" groaned Mikey, who rolled over to try and sleep longer.

"NO! It can't wait! April's gone!" Donnie shouted hysterically, showing his siblings his phone screen.

His words roused the rest of them, and they all leaned in to see what he was talking about.

What they saw on the screen woke them up like a splash of ice-cold water. Displayed on screen was a photo they remembered taking just before they left the farmhouse to go back to New York City. In it, the five siblings, Casey, April, and Metalhead had been posing on the front steps of the house, doing their best to smile before charging off to battle.

Only now, the image of April standing arm-in-arm with Donnie had vanished completely, leaving the Donnie in the photo standing awkwardly with his arm bent around nothing.

"She vanished right before my eyes," Donnie whimpered. "I miss her, and wanted to see her face this morning, and she faded out of the picture right in front of me."

"I don't understand," said Raph. "How's that possible."

Mikey looked meek as he whimpered, "Don't you guys watch Sci-Fi? It's just like that movie. This sort of thing happens when you change the future. We're doomed, dudes! Doomed!"

Miwa's face darkened considerably. "It does make some sort of sense," she said. "Anything we do here could change our personal future. And if we never went to New York, then no one would have been there to save April from the Kraang."

Donnie's face turned ashen, and he looked like he was about to faint from worry for his girlfriend.

"But what did we do that changed the future?" asked Leo.

"Well, Shredder attacked us last night. Maybe that had something to do with it," said Raph angrily. "I say we fix it."

"And how do you propose we do that, Raph?" asked Leo sarcastically. "Beat him until the future goes back to the way it was."

Raph shrugged. "I can't say I'm opposed to that plan."

"He might be right," said Miwa. "Mother showed up and stopped Shredder from attacking me while you were getting Raph to safety. Maybe that encounter with her, I don't know, did something that polluted the time stream."

"It could have been that," said Donnie, still looking faint. "Or it could simply be that we are polluting the time stream just by being here. And the longer we're here, the more warped it becomes."

Mikey cringed and clutched at his head. "Dudes, all this time talk is making my brain hurt!" he cried.

"So what do we do?" asked Leo, looking lost and worried.

Donnie shrugged hopelessly. "Hope Renet gets here and helps us fix things before they get worse."

"How could they get worse?" asked Mikey.

"Please tell me you didn't just say that," Miwa groaned.

Just then, a twig snapped behind them, followed by the unmistakable sound of the jingle of a chain swinging in the breeze.

"You had to say it!" growled Raph as they all tensed, and searched the trees for the source of the sound.

"Think Shredder's back for round two?" asked Donnie, drawing his bō.

"I'd say we're about to find out," Leo replied as they huddled back to back to each other, keeping their eyes peeled for the attack that was sure to come.

But despite them all being as prepared as they could be, they were still caught by surprise when a weighted chain swung out at them from the shadows, flew between Raph and Mikey and hooked around Leo's leg, and pulled his feet out from under him, sending him crashing into his siblings. The teenagers all fell to the forest floor in a heap of yelps and curses.

But despite being at the bottom of the pile, Leo was still wrenched out from under them, and dragged swiftly towards the wielder of the chain.

Recovering his wits quickly, Leo used his sword to slice through the chain on his leg, before rolling into a crouch and throwing a shuriken in the direction of his attacker.

The throwing star was caught in between a pair of slender fingers, as the attacker stepped out into the light. The rest of the teens, who had managed to untangle themselves at record speeds and ready themselves for a fight, froze at the sight of him.

Once again, Master Yuuta stood before them with a calculating expression.

Leo quickly drew back to his siblings, and they all prepared to bolt the second they got the opportunity.

But Master Yuuta merely examined the shuriken in his hands thoughtfully. "How is it, I wonder, that a kappa such as yourself managed to gain possession of a blade such as this," he said, turning the shuriken so that they could all see the Hamato Crest engraved into the center.

Leo paled as he realized his mistake, and they all shifted uneasily.

Hamato Yuuta seemed paid no heed to their nervousness, and began circling the group slowly. "It was not stolen," he said as if pondering the question to himself. "Or my ninja would have reported it missing. And clearly you are well used to using it, if your aim was anything to go by."

Yuuta glanced at the skittish teenagers for answers, but all he got in response were several deer-in-the-headlights expressions.

Yuuta sighed, before beginning his circle again. "I must admit, you five are a mystery even this old man cannot solve. Three of you are clearly not human, despite that you act as a family, and trust as one as well. You appear out of nowhere, and yet seem to know my family's fighting style as if you'd been trained in it your whole lives. Last night, you attacked my son, and then fled at the sight of a single kunoichi-"

"Hey, Oroku Saki attacked us first!" snapped Miwa, unable to stop herself.

"He nearly took my head off!" added Raph angrily.

"And tried to stab me in the back!" said Donnie indignantly.

"We were just having a camp out, dude," Mikey whined. "Then he came out of nowhere and made me drop my dinner."

"Guys, shhh," hissed Leo, glaring at them for the interruption.

But Yuuta let out a small chuckle at their complaints, and said, "In many ways you are strange, yet in others you are clearly still adolescents. Truly, I do not know what to make of you children."

He then turned, and began walking towards the dojo. "Come," said the old man over his shoulder, clearly expecting them to follow.

The teenagers remained frozen where they stood, expressions of utter confusion on their faces.

"Come?" Leo questioned.

"My foolish son spoiled your dinner last night, did he not," said Yuuta, not looking back at them as he continued on. "It is only right I grant you a meal in recompense."

At the mention of food, Mikey immediately perked up and began to hurry after Yuuta.

Seeing this, Leo caught his baby brother's arm to stop him. "What are you doing, Tenshi?" he asked.

"Dudes, free food," said Mikey jerking his head in the old man's direction. Then at their annoyed expressions he added in a lower voice, "Plus, when are we ever gonna get another chance to have brunch with Grandpa? This is a once in a lifetime opportunity."

The others shared a glance, before gazing after Yuuta, who was still continuing onwards despite their hesitance.

Finally, with a loud sigh, Leo said, "I'm gonna regret this." But still he released Mikey's arm and followed after the orange wearing turtle to catch up with Yuuta, the rest hurrying after as well.


Soon the five ninjas found themselves sitting within the dojo before Hamato Yuuta as he poured tea for all of them to go with their food.

It was a tense and awkward silence as the teenagers stared nervously at the grandfather they had never known, but the elderly man ignored their stares, his face betraying no emotion as he went about his task.

By some miracle, the six of them had managed to make it to the dojo without anyone else seeing them, but the siblings remained ready to bolt in the case that someone walked in on them.

The tense silence was finally broken when Yuuta looked up at Miwa and said, "Are you of any relation to Tang Shen?"

The four brothers froze, and Miwa (who had taken off her hood and scarf for the meal) was only able to produce a strangled choking sound in response.

Hoping to change the subject, Leo cleared his throat to gain everyone's attention. "Er, Master Yuuta, sir, we- uh," he struggled to find something to say, but how does one start a conversation with the man who they've never before met, and who's adopted son would eventually go off the deep end from jealousy, slaughter his entire clan, and go on an over fifteen year long crusade to hunt down Yoshi for his perceived revenge against him.

Yuuta inclined his head slightly to show he was listening, before looking at the lead turtle again expectantly.

Leo shifted uncomfortably, before bowing and saying, "Thank you for the meal, Sir," he said respectfully.

His siblings followed his example and bowed as well, leading Yuuta to look almost amused.

"You are so much like Tang Shen, young Raion," he remarked with a small chuckle. "Always so formal and polite, despite what you truly feel."

At yet another comparison to their mother in a row, Leo shifted even more uncomfortably, and hoped Yuuta would not continue to pursue the question.

Fortunately, Yuuta instead set down the teapot, and waved his hand at the food before. "Please, help yourself."

The five teenagers quickly clasped their hands and said a quick thanks before eating, or in Mikey's case, shoveling food into his mouth, leading to Miwa smacking him for his poor manners.

"Do not abuse the kappa, young woman," said Yuuta, making Miwa freeze and look sheepish. "I have raised two boys, and I am afraid Yoshi had similar manners when he was young as well."

Mikey preened at being compared to his father, and Miwa's face turned incredulous at the idea of their ever-proper father having such terrible table manners.

As they ate, Raph noticed the abundance of cucumber on his, Leo's and Mikey's plates, and rolled his eyes at them, knowing it was another aspect of the kappa legend.

"I am curious," said Yuuta as he slowly raised his own teacup to his lips. "How is it you knew my son's name was Oroku Saki, when even he does not know his true origin."

The elderly man then calmly sipped at his tea as the five teenagers promptly choked on their own meals.

Realizing what they'd let slip, Leo thumped his fist against his chest to clear his airways in hopes of giving an answer to cover for them. "Er- well- that is- we-" he spluttered, trying to find something to say.

"It's 'cause we know the future," said Raph bluntly next to him, causing all heads to swivel in his direction.

Yuuta stared at Raph with an expression of mild interest, while his siblings stared at him with looks that said they were clearly questioning his sanity.

Raph rolled his eyes at these reactions, and held up a slice of cucumber for them all to see.

"You gave us this, so clearly you know about that old story," he said bluntly, ignoring how looks of realization began dawning on his siblings as he spoke. "Girl meets kappa. Kappa scares girl. Girl chucks cucumber at kappa's head as a result. Turns out, kappa likes cucumber, and tells girl how to save her village from a hurricane. End of story."

Yuuta let out a cough that might actually have been a laugh, and there was no denying the amused expression on his usually stoic face. "That is certainly the most… unique telling I have ever heard. But yes, I do hope to know what misfortune will soon befall this area that it has drawn yokai near."

That led to an uncomfortable silence as the five teens exchanged glances. With the delicate balance of the future at stake, there was no telling what could destroy their future, but with Raph admitting to their knowledge, it would be hard to get out of saying something if only to appease the grandfather they'd never known.

After a moment of deliberation, they all turned to Leo in a silent agreement to follow his lead.

'Great, no pressure or anything,' Leo thought to himself as he tried to figure out what to say.

He turned to look back at Yuuta, who was watching them expectantly.

"It is difficult to know, er, what to tell you, and what not too," Leo started honestly. "To know what to change, and what shouldn't be changed. Some very bad things are going to happen to your clan, and… we don't know how to stop it without something even worse happening later on…" He then bowed his head apologetically. "Sorry, this probably isn't making a whole lot of sense."

Yuuta nodded in understanding. "Time is a tangled web of decisions and choices," he said sagely. "What may seem like the right choice at one hour can be seen as a grievous mistake at the next."

Mikey leaned over and whispered to Donnie, "Wow, now I'm seeing where Father gets his advice from."

Donnie rolled his eyes, and elbowed Mikey in the shell to quiet him down.

Paying no attention to the youngest two, Yuuta continued, "Tell me what you deem necessary, and keep secret that which you deem dangerous. Any information to help my clan is valued."

Leo hesitated one final time, before sighing and saying, "Like I said. There is a great danger coming to your clan in the future, Master Yuuta. But two of the most important things you need to know are this. One is that the danger revolves primarily around your two sons, and Tang Shen. And two, is that Shen and Yoshi must raise their children in New York City. The fate of several lives depends on it."

Yuuta's eyebrows raised, before they pinched into a frown. "My Yoshi? Go to America?" he asked. "I had wanted him to continue the family dojo here. To be the next head of our clan."

"He can still do both, Gran-er-dude," said Mikey, barely catching himself before he referred to Yuuta as 'Grandpa'. "Fa-uh-Yoshi's gonna open the best dojo in New York. It's totally rad, with a lot of foot space, and big upper floor with lots of room, a great basement, and loads of secret-"

Donnie had to clap his hand over Mikey's mouth before he spilled the entire floor of their home to the ninja master.

Yuuta stared at the pair with an eyebrow raised. "It seems your ability to foresee what is to come is quite clear," he said dryly.

Mikey shoved Donnie's hand off his mouth, and rubbed his head sheepishly.

Before anything else could be said, the sound of running footsteps reached their ears, and the siblings bolted for hiding places.

Just as they vanished from sight, the screen door of the room slammed open, revealing Yoshi who had an expression that looked to be a cross between eagerness and nervousness, followed by a cheerful looking Shen, and a curious but petulant looking Saki.

"Good, you are here, Father," said Yoshi when he saw Yuuta. "I must tell you the most wonderful news."

Despite the odd advice he had just been given, Yuuta schooled his features, and watched his son expectantly.

"Enough beating around the bush, Yoshi. What is it you are so eager to tell us?" Saki growled, but it was clear from the look on his face he had already guessed the answer, and was dreading it.

Yoshi's smile wilted slightly, but then Shen moved to stand beside him, and he gained confidence again.

"Last night, I asked Shen to be my wife," Yoshi announced to his entire family.

"And I accepted," said Shen with a smile, taking Yoshi's hand in hers, and beaming up at him.

From their hiding place up in the rafters, Miwa could see Mikey getting misty-eyed next to her at the realization of what they were witnessing. She quickly slapped a hand over his mouth to keep him from cooing over the scene below them.

Yuuta smiled at the happy couple and nodded his congratulations to them. Even without the kappas' prediction moments before, he had seen this event coming for many months now. It had been something he had been greatly anticipating, and…

He turned to glance at Saki to see his reaction.

… Something he had also been dreading.

Saki was frozen where he stood, looking as if he could not fully comprehend what he had just heard.

Then slowly realization began dawning on his face, and all those in the dojo witnessed first hand the myriad of emotions that flashed across his face.

Horror, denial, regret, disappointment, and rage shifted through his features for them all to see, until it finally came to a stop on the last one.

Seeing this, Shen hurried forward and took Saki's hand. "I am sorry, Saki," she said. "I know you care for me. But please understand, this is my decision to make. I only ask that you accept it, and let me go."

Behind her, Yoshi looked as though he wanted to move forward and comfort his brother, but knew his doing so would be greatly unwelcomed in the light of what was happening.

The rage on Saki's face melted briefly, and he stared at Shen with an expression of pure longing.

But then the fury returned, and he jerked away from her. "Never," he said hoarsely, before storming out of the room, slamming the screen door behind him so hard it made the entire dojo rattle.

There was a tense silence following his departure that seemed to stretch for eternity as the room's occupants both seen and hidden held their breaths.

Finally, Yoshi broke it with a heavy sigh. "Sad to say, but he took the news better than I thought he would," he said. "Though I will likely sleep with one eye open tonight, so he doesn't try to gut me."

Shen scowled and swatted his arm.

"Give your brother time, Yoshi," said Yuuta. "One's heart can bring the greatest of joys, and the deepest of pains. Healing from the latter requires patience and care. Saki is strong, he will recover from this if he chooses to do so."

Yoshi nodded, still looking disappointed. "I suppose it was really too much to hope that he might actually be happy for us," he said with another sigh.

Shen glanced up at him, and gently took his hand in hers. "Do you regret it?" she asked softly.

Yoshi's eyes snapped up to meet hers, and he clasped her hand tightly in both of his, and looked at his new fiancé imploringly. "Never, my love," he said earnestly.

Shen smiled up at him, and the couple quietly walked hand in hand out of the room, leaving Yuuta alone with his mysterious guests once again.

The five of them carefully slipped from their hiding places, and hesitated.

It was clear to them they had overstayed their welcome, but if they just left things as they were…

Sensing the source of their anxiety, Yuuta said, "Thank you for bestowing an old man with your wisdom," he said. "Come back again should you ever be hungry."

Hearing the dismissal in his words, the teenagers turned to leave Yuuta to his thoughts.

But as they reached the door, Yuuta called after them one last time.

"The danger you foresee, it comes from Saki, doesn't it," he asked rhetorically.

The siblings froze at the door and exchanged glances.

Their silence was answer enough, and Yuuta nodded solemnly. "I see."

After a moment's hesitation, the five teens slipped out the door and vanished back into the forest.

There was nothing more they could do for now.


An antique rack of hundred-year-old katanas went flying across a far room of the dojo, smashing to pieces as it hit the ground.

Saki let out a bellow or rage, and sent another rack of weapons to join the first's fate.

His anger far from abated, Saki continued to wreak destruction on the furniture and priceless artifacts decorating the room.

He loved Shen!

Yoshi didn't deserve her, he did!

It should be him marrying Shen, not Yoshi!

This was not supposed to happen!

It shouldn't be Yoshi!

It should be him!

Nobody but HIM!

Soon the room was in shambles, and Saki stood breathing heavily in the center of it.

With a final yell of fury, he fell to his knees and slammed his fists against the floorboards.

Only for his hands to break clear through the boards, and reveal a hidden compartment beneath them.

The surprise at finding the compartment broke through his haze of anger.

Carefully, Saki pried the boards up to fully reveal a locked chest hidden beneath the floor.

Curious, he pulled the chest up out of the compartment, and set it on the floor before him.

Brushing off the dust covering the box, he started in surprise as he recognized the crest etched into the chest.

The Foot Clan Crest.

Why was a box bearing his clan's former rival's crest hidden beneath the floorboards of the Hamato Dojo.

Saki, of course, knew of the Foot Clan's history. They had been a rival clan known for their cruel methods, leading to a bitter and bloody rivalry between them and the Hamato Clan. When he and Yoshi had been babies, their father had led a charge against the Foot Clan, and the ensuing battle had left the Foot crippled. They had never recovered from their loss that night, and died out not long after that. In that time, the Hamato Clan had flourished, and had been unequalled ever since.

Perhaps this was some spoils of war left from that battle. A trophy taken from the Foot to show the Hamatos' greater might.

But then why was it hidden away, and not displayed proudly to deter other future enemies of the clan?

And if it was some trophy, what did the box contain?

Unable to leave these question unanswered, Saki carefully picked the lock on the box, and peered inside.

Resting within the chest was only two things, a journal and a metal kabuto with three long points.

Ignoring the helmet for now, Saki reached down for the journal, and opened it, skimming the first page.

Only to freeze, and stare at the page with abject horror as the words upon it slowly sank into his brain.

Then with a sort of frenzy, he tore through the rest of the book, reading every word on its pages as if his life depended on it.

When he finally reached the end, the tome fell slack from his hands as he sat rigidly in the room, its words spinning in his head.

It now made sense why these 'spoils of war' weren't displayed with pride. There was no need for them…

…Not when the greatest prize of them all was in full view for all to see.

The son of the deceased Foot Clan leader,

Him.

So much made sense now. So many mysteries in his life suddenly were becoming crystal clear.

Almost in a daze, Hamato Saki-

No, Oroku Saki, reached over to pick up the helmet, the Kuro Kabuto if the journal he'd read was correct, and stared at his reflection on its gleaming surface despite its years shut away.

"It seems this was my destiny all along," he said softly under his breath.

He now knew what he must do.


As the five siblings returned to their new campsite in the forest, on a whim, Donnie pulled out his cell phone to see if April's picture had come back.

Only to pale as instead of his girlfriend returning, he watched as instead Casey Jones began fading out as well.

"GUYS!" he shouted, pointing the screen at them.

They all turned, and gaped as their hockey-loving friend vanished before their eyes.

"Hockey Boy," Miwa gasped in an oddly chocked voice.

Raph looked ashen at the idea of loosing his best friend, and slumped against a tree as he no longer felt his legs would hold him up. "Casey never was one to stand back and let bad things happen," he said, his expression pale and drawn. "He'd fight against the Kraang no matter the odds, and without back up…"

The red wearing turtle didn't have to continue. They all knew Casey would fight for what was right no matter how suicidal the battle was. And without them there to pull him back, he'd either burn himself out or get shot for being reckless.

Leo slammed his fist against a tree. "We made the wrong choice," he said, regret pouring off him in waves. "We shouldn't have gone with Yuuta. We should have stayed away from the dojo."

"What's the plan now, Leo?" asked Mikey, looking more than a little scared.

Leo's eyes narrowed in determination. "If we've already changed the future, then the only noble thing we can do is finish Shredder once and for all."

His brothers and sister all nodded in determination. One way or another, this would all end soon.


Hamato Yuuta stared at the destroyed room with a look of resignation.

The day he had always feared had not only arrived, but had come at the worst possible time.

Any hope he had that the secret remained undiscovered was destroyed when he found the ripped up floorboards, and empty chest.

Saki, his beloved son, now knew the truth.

And in his distraught emotional state, Yuuta did not know what he would do, but he had his suspicions, and they must not come to pass.

The sound of footsteps behind him alerted Yuuta to the approach of his other beloved son.

"Father?" said Yoshi. He then froze as he took in the sight of the wrecked room. "What has happened here?" he asked.

"Something I have been dreading since you were very small, my son," said Yuuta gravely. He then turned away. "Come," he said as he started moving. "We must find your brother."

"Saki?" asked Yoshi in surprise. "Is he in danger, Father? Are we under attack?"

Yuuta refused to meet Yoshi's eyes. "Of a sorts," he admitted. "And I fear that if we do not find him quickly, he will be lost to us forever."

Yoshi paled, and hurried on ahead, rushing out into the forest with the intent on finding his brother.

Yuuta followed at a more sedated pace, fearing that it may already be too late to save his second son.

But still, he had to try.


Saki stood in the shadows and observed the gathered ninja in the clearing of a shrine.

He had called forth all the ninjas he trusted. The ones he knew were more loyal to him than to the clan.

Once they had all arrived, he lit a torch and stepped into view, causing them all to start in surprise at the sight of him.

No longer was Saki dressed in his crimson Hamato Clan robes. Now his clothes were dark purple, and bore his true crest. The Foot Crest.

Jumping atop the shrine to address them all, Saki said, "The Hamato Clan has gotten weak. It is rotting from the inside. The Foot was the oldest of all ninja clans when it was wiped out by Hamato Yuuta," he spat the name of his father figure as if it were poison as he told the story he'd heard his entire life with an entirely new perspective. "When he slayed its master, Oroku Kaiji. My father."

The ninja before him's faces were hidden, but even so, he could still see their eyes widen in shock over the news.

"I was adopted by the Hamato Clan as an infant," continued Saki, jumping down from the shrine and striding towards them. "Raised by my enemy in ignorance! I will have my revenge on them ALL!"

With that, he threw his torch at the shrine, setting it ablaze.

He then lifted a flag bearing the Foot crest from the ground, and raised it high.

The message was clear. Join me, or you will burn.

One by one, the gathered ninja kneeled before their new master.

The Foot Clan had been reborn.

But suddenly the kneeling ninjas tensed, and began reaching for their weapons in alarm.

Following their gaze, Saki turned to see five shadowy figures crouched on the roof of the burning shrine. Three of them were large and bulky with eerie white eyes shining in the fire's glow. The other two were more human shaped, but still ominous as they glared down at the gathered ninja with accusing stares.

"Yokai," Saki whispered, recognizing the figures instantly and backing away from them.

Turning and walking through his men, Saki ordered, "Finish them quickly! I have business to attend to," before vanishing into the trees.

The Hamato-turned-Foot ninja leaped to their feet, and drew their weapons.

The five Hamato siblings leaped down from the shrine with their own weapons drawn, determined to fight their way through the ninja, and finish their target.

For a moment, nobody moved as the two groups studied each other wearily.

Then one of the Foot Ninja shouted, "You will die here, monsters!"

Miwa let out a derisive snort. "After you, traitors!" she snarled at those who were supposed to be her clan-mates.

That caused the standstill to break, and both parties rushed forward shouting battle cries.

Like before, the Foot Ninjas' training was far superior to those of the Foot-Bots in present day, but this time around the teenagers had an advantage.

The Foot Ninjas were terrified of them, and the teens took a great deal of joy in scaring them even further.

Cackling like maniacs, the five of them slipped in and out of the shadows, using the eerie light of the burning shrine to play up the creepy factor of their movements.

Mikey rattled his kusarigama chain as he slammed the weighted end into the face of one of the Foot Ninja, sending him sprawling to the ground. Leo darted out of the shadows to grab another by the shoulders and drag him away screaming. Raph would rise up out of the shadows and tackle his victims into the ground with a feral sounding roar. Donnie stood on his hands, and jumped across the nearby statues as he attacked, his odd posture giving his form a contorted shape in the dim light. And Miwa was using every ounce of her terrifying rage to send any ninja she targeted into a fit of panic, and declaring her the most demonic of them all.

With the Foot Ninjas now scared senseless, the five of them climbed up onto some of the statues decorating the shrine, allowing their silhouettes to loom sinisterly over their enemies.

Wrapped in his own chains like Jacob Marley, Mikey shouted in his spookiest voice, "Booyakasha!"

That was the final straw, and the ninjas all fled in terror of the fearsome 'kappa' and their equally wicked friends, throwing cucumbers over their shoulder as they went.

As soon as they were gone, Mikey turned to his siblings and beamed. "We should so do this again next Halloween," he said cheerfully as he munched on one of the discarded cucumbers.

Leo rolled his eyes, and jerked his head in the direction Saki had gone. "Come on, Shredder couldn't have gotten far!"

The rest of them nodded, and they all took off into the darkened trees, determined to end their families' bloody feud before it even began.


Yoshi continued to rush through the trees, keeping his eyes peeled for any sign of his brother.

But even as he ran, he had to wonder just what danger his brother was possibly in.

Had the mysterious creatures that Saki had been speaking about attacked him or was it some other outside danger? Why had his father been so unclear when he told him?

Where was Saki?

Just then, out of the corner of his eye, Yoshi saw someone standing among the trees. He skidded to a stop, and wheeled around with his fists raised in case of attack.

Only to freeze as he recognized the figure.

"Saki," he breathed with relief, lowering his fists and hurrying towards his brother. "We must go, someone ransacked a room of the dojo, and Father believes there is danger, and-"

Yoshi broke off as he fully took in the sight of the man before him, and registering the purple robes with a familiar crest, and the rake-like blades strapped to Saki's hands.

"Saki?" Yoshi questioned, taking a step back from his brother in confusion. "Why are you dressed like that?"

Saki glowered at Yoshi hatefully in response. "How can one love and hate someone so fiercely?" he said darkly.

"What?" asked Yoshi, dread forming in his stomach.

"Shen was mine!" Saki snarled. "You knew how I felt for her! You took her away from me!"

"She made her own choice," said Yoshi, backing farther away from Saki. "And I do not regret her choice, as I love her as well. We never meant to hurt you, brother-"

"NO!" Saki roared, making Yoshi start in surprise. "We were never brothers! We were never blood!"

Yoshi paled. He had learned that his brother was adopted into his family years ago, but he'd never known much more than that, nor had it ever mattered. Saki was his brother, greatest friend, and most persistent rival. It hadn't mattered where he'd come from to get there.

But apparently it had mattered to Saki.

"Saki, if this is because you were adopted-" Yoshi tried to reason with him, but was interrupted as Saki let out a cold laugh.

"Then you knew," Saki snapped. "I should have known. Not only must I suffer the humiliation of being raised by my enemy clan, but you made sure to torture me further by taking from me the only thing I've ever loved."

"What?!" Yoshi said, his confusion mounting, and his concern over Saki's hostility towards him growing as well. "Saki, what are you talking about? What enemy?"

But Saki merely snarled, and shifted into a battle stance.

Seeing there was no way to talk Saki down from this apparent bout of madness he was going through, Yoshi subtly reached for the shuko spikes he'd kept in his pocket. "If your desire is to fight me, brother," he said solemnly, "So be it."

With a roar of rage, Saki charged at Yoshi with his blades.

Yoshi brought his hands up and caught the blades, but the force of Saki's blow still had him backing into a tree.

Yoshi then opened his palms to reveal the metal spikes on his hands, before shoving Saki back.

But Saki was not phased, and stabbed at Yoshi again, making him have to duck to avoid the blades.

Continuing to dodge Saki's blows, Yoshi managed to catch Saki's arms and tried again to reason with him. "We were raised together, Saki! Do not make me fight you!"

"How could I not after so many lies!" Saki spat. "So much dishonor!"

Saki then wrenched his hand free, and tried to stab him in the gut, but Yoshi was faster. With a quick series of precise blows, Yoshi landed three punches on Saki, before flipping him over his shoulder, and sending him sprawling to the ground.

"You only dishonor yourself!" shouted Yoshi.

Saki roared in rage, and pushed himself back to his feet, and rushed Yoshi, swinging his blades at Yoshi's head, which the latter barely dodged.

They likely would have continued fighting until the end of time, but suddenly a figure blurred between them, and they felt a flash of crippling pain.

Hamato Yuuta stood between the two in a position he had often taken to discipline them during their fights growing up. Beneath his fingers knelt both of his sons as he pressed into pressure points on their backs to keep them from moving.

"Enough!" Yuuta yelled, twisting his fingers so that both men collapsed to the ground from the numbing sensation of the pressure point.

"You are brothers," Yuuta scolded. "Act like brothers!"

Yoshi looked suitably ashamed of his actions, but Saki only snarled in rage at his feet.

Seeing this, Yuuta sighed and stepped away from them. "I see we have much to discuss this night," he said regretfully. "Let us return home."

Yoshi climbed to his feet and made to follow.

But Saki was beyond reason. He stood as if he were going to follow as well, but then before either of the Hamatos could react, he lashed out with a lightning fast move, grabbed Yuuta by his white robes, and threw him with all his strength into one of the trees.

The tree splintered and snapped in two at the force of the blow, and Yuuta let out a painful wheeze as his back slammed into the wood.

"FATHER!" shouted Yoshi in horror.

In the trees above, five ninja teenagers froze in shock as they realized what they had just witnessed.

But Saki's face remained stoic, giving no indication he felt remotely guilty for attacking the only father he had ever known.

Yoshi rushed to his father's side, and was alarmed to see blood oozing from Yuuta's mouth, and realized that the elderly man was barely breathing.

Knowing he had to get him to a doctor quickly, Yoshi scooped his father into his arms, and turned to run, only for the way to be blocked by Saki.

"I will have my revenge," Saki snarled, making it clear he had no intention of letting Yoshi pass.

But then to both men's surprise, five figures leapt down from the trees between Yoshi and Saki, forming a circle around the latter.

"Run," one shouted to Yoshi. "We'll hold him off."

Yoshi barely spared a glance at his rescuers, and sprinted around them, past Saki, and out of sight.

But Saki recognized them instantly. "You!" he snarled venomously.

"Us," said Leo, before launching forwards to attack, followed by his siblings.

But Saki dodged their every blow.

As the five regrouped, the hateful man realized that his opportunity for vengeance that night had failed, and soon Yoshi would have the forest crawling with loyal Hamato Ninja after his head.

That is, if these five supernatural creatures didn't finish him first. If they were able to get past all of his men, they must be formidable foes indeed.

Realizing this, Saki threw blinding powder at the yokai and their companions, before vanishing into the shadows.

But still, the forest echoed with his shout as he fled. "This is not over, Yoshi!" he bellowed over his shoulder. "I will have my revenge! And you will all PAY!"

Hearing this as he ran for safety, Yoshi winced.

No matter what happened next, he knew he had lost his brother forever that night.


The doors of a hospital waiting room burst open as Tang Shen rushed through them.

The instant she'd heard the news of what had happened, she had dropped everything and rushed to her fiancé's side.

Sitting in one of the uncomfortable chairs, Yoshi looked up as she approached.

"Is it true?" she gasped as she tried to catch her breath. "Did Saki-? Is Master Yuuta-?"

"Saki did attack both Father and myself tonight," Yoshi said, his head bowed. "I'm afraid that it's true."

Shen's eyes widened, and she slowly sank into the chair next to Yoshi as she processed the news. Still, she reached up and wrapped her arms around Yoshi, knowing he needed comfort more than anything right now.

But Yoshi's eyes remained downcast even as he leaned into the embrace. "Father will survive, but his health… He was already sick before this, and he feels he will no longer be able to lead the Hamato Clan in this state. He is stepping down as head of the clan."

Shen's eyes widened as she realized what that meant.

Yoshi turned to look her in the eyes. "I am to become the new leader of the clan," he confirmed.

Shen felt a bubble of disappointment within her, but she squashed it, knowing now was not the time for her own desires, so all she said in reply was a soft, "Oh."

Yoshi reached up, and took one of her hands in his. "I know you have a lot of dreams, Shen," he said. "And know I will do what I can to make them come true."

He then managed to smile slightly. "In fact, before falling to sleep, Father mentioned something about allowing us to move the dojo to New York someday. It may take a few years, and it could have just been his medicine talking, but I believe the idea has some merit. What do you think, my love?"

Shen stared at him in disbelief for a full minute, before throwing her arms around him. "I think it sounds wonderful, Yoshi," she said into his ear.

Neither of the couple noticed a figure had been lingering by the door throughout their conversation, nor did they see as it silently slipped away.


At their campsite, the four brothers listened as Miwa recounted what she'd overheard in the hospital.

Mikey let out a sigh of relief, and his entire posture relaxed. "Good," he said, his bright smile returning to his face. "I was really worried about Grandpa for a bit there."

Donnie nodded in agreement as he pulled out his phone to see how badly they'd screwed up the future now, only to drop his phone in shock.

"They're back!" he shouted, picking it back up off the ground to show the others. "Everything's back to normal!"

Sure enough, Casey and April were back in their rightful places grinning out of the picture with the rest of the team.

"Great," said Raph. "Except we're still stuck thousands of miles from them, and nineteen years in the past!"

"Well, maybe being stuck here won't be so bad," said Mikey. "At least we'll get free cucumber."

"And we can get stronger for when the invasion comes," said Miwa.

They all nodded in discontent at the idea, only to look up in surprise as a bright light appeared over their head, and out of it tumbled Renet.

But Renet was on her feet again an instant later, beaming at them. "Yes, finally I found you!" she said.

Mikey's face broke into a wide grin, and he grabbed the girl into a hug. "Renet!" he cheered as he spun her around happily.

Renet giggled in his arms, and patted him on the head. "It's good to see you too, Mikey," she said.

But not everyone was as pleased as they were. "Where have you been?" Raph demanded. "We've been stuck here for days!"

"And we're sick of it," Miwa added, looking far from happy.

Renet's face fell. "It's not my fault," she said regretfully. "Seriously, I've spent, like, the last six months trying to hunt you guys down."

"Why?" asked Leo, voicing the question they'd all been asking from the start of this misadventure. "Why did we have to come here? Of all times, of all places!"

Renet stepped out of Mikey's arms, and held up the Time Scepter. "It was the scepter," she explained. "It brought you here… to make sure Yoshi survived."

Donnie blinked in surprise. "Wait, so it's always been this way? We were always destined to come here in time and save our father's life?" he asked.

Raph's eyes widened as he remembered a half forgotten conversation he'd had with Shen, and groaned. "Mother told me once she had a friend who claimed to have seen real kappa," he said. "She must have been talking about Shredder, or one of the other ninjas who saw us."

Miwa pinched her brow as she felt a headache forming. "Can we please just go back to our alien-invaded, mutant-filled home?" she asked. "Things there actually make sense."

"And the fact that that's true is not something we should be proud of," muttered Donnie.

"No problem," said Renet sympathetically as she raised the scepter over her head. "Future New York, here we come."

One time door jump later, the five siblings found themselves hidden back in the sewers of the city, and Renet left for the far future a moment later.

As they exchanged a glance within the dark smelly sewer, they all knew what the other was thinking, and bolted towards Shen's new hiding place.

More than anything, they really wanted to see their parents right now.


A/N Here is where the timeline of my fic and the timeline of the show differ. By coming earlier, they set things in motion so that they went differently in here than in the Show. This is why Shredder left earlier, and therefore didn't know Miwa's name, and Shen and Yoshi were surprised to see him in the first chapter. In my original draft, I was going to bring in Lotus from the 80s cartoon, and have her take Shen's role in the episode. But it just wasn't working for me, and it turned to the teens meeting their grandfather instead. Also, the scene wher Shredder discovers his origins is based on the IDW comic

Disclaimer: I own nothing.