Author's Note
Hello Universe! Palkia's back with Chapter 2! Arceus dang guys, WOW! You guys really like this! Thank you so much! So many people viewed this! Ahhhhh! Thank you for checking out my story! But before we get into this…
Caliban Super Saiyan 0: Well, to tell you the truth, it's weird. In the season 3 episode, "The Deadly Venom," Splinter taught Leo the signs for the Healing Hands, WHICH FOR SOME REASON HE WAS ABLE TO DO WITH THREE FINGERS?! I don't know, I still can't even process how he still did the signs in the first place. Oh well. But...I can guarantee you there will be a way...
Dylan-A-Friend: Thank you dude!
Here's the song list:
(1) Man of the World- Naruto Shippuden OST
(2) Colorful Mist- Naruto Shippuden OST
(3) Departure to the Frontlines- Naruto Shippuden OST
Btw, there's like a playlist on Youtube with like 96 videos of the Naruto Shippuden track, that's where I'm taking the songs from, cause some of them aren't officially released.
Alright! Let's get into it!
I do not own Naruto and I do not own TMNT.
Chapter 1
I've Got a Friend in Me
Ten years later...
"And that is how our first great adventure, led us home." Master Splinter finished.
The rat ninjutsu master kneeled on the ground, just finishing the story he was telling. And he had told it to his sons. In the years that had past, all four of the turtles had grown up. They were no longer turtle human infants, but now they were becoming strong children. And today, Master Splinter was going to give them something great.
Michelangelo had grown the least, being the shortest of the four. He was the only turtle with freckles on his face. However, his light blue eyes shined brightly of innocence. The young turtle had grown into a young turtle who was filled with joy and happiness. He loved to have fun with his brothers, although sometimes it was very hard to catch his attention and have him listen.
Ironically, the tallest of the four was Donatello. Over the years he had accidentally lost a tooth, which now formed a gaping hole in his line of teeth. Despite this, while his tooth may never grow in again, his brain had certainly grown a significant amount. Ever since Splinter had seen him turn on the light when he was an infant, Donnie's intelligence has grown significantly. And so, he even took over a part of the lair as his own lab.
Raphael had grown a lot, and it wasn't just his body either. His temper had grown so much that sometimes he would get into fights with his own brothers. But in the end, he would use his anger to defend and protect his family. Splinter could see that his second oldest son would become the strongest of the four, if he could ever control that anger and rage.
And finally, the one that changed the most over the period of ten years was his oldest son Leonardo. At the beginning of their new life together, Leo was in very poor health. He was unconscious for over half a year. Splinter was afraid that he would lose his eldest son, and he almost did, when one night the young turtle's heart nearly died out. But as fate would have it, Leonardo fought to live and was alive. Now, he was as healthy as ever, and becoming probably the most skilled out of his sons. However, his body wasn't as strong as his brothers, and he would often get pushed down easily.
For the past ten years, the rodent ninjutsu master began to teach his four sons the beginning of martial arts. After seeing them trying to copy him, he came up with a possibility to train them once they had become old enough. Though he had not given them advanced training, he had given them the basics, such has having them learn a few katas. Now, since they were ten years old, it was time to gift them a gift as they progress in their training into a more advanced level.
"Now," he said. "I have a gift for each of you, as we continue our journey."
He went to the back of the room and grabbed something off of the shelf. And then, he showed them to his sons. All four our their eyes widened at the sight that they saw before them. There, in their Sensei's hands, were four ninja masks. Blue, Red, Purple, and Orange. These were their colors.
"These my sons, are masks," he said to them. "One of the most important rules of the ninja is to keep your identity hidden. And, with these new masks, no one should tell who you are."
In a sense, what Splinter has said to them was partially true. Yes, ninjas are suppose to keep their identity a secret, but because of the circumstances, them being mutants, he wasn't sure that this was necessary. However, he still would give these masks to them as a sign of their training. And, to help tell the difference between them.
"Sensei?" asked Leonardo, whose voice was hardly above a whisper as he was nervous to ask.
"What is it my son?" The rat master answered.
"Could I...could I have the red one? If that is..." Then, Raph's voice interrupted him.
"I want the red one!" he yelled.
"But Raph I…" Leo began but once again Raph yelled.
"No Leo! I want the red one!"
"My sons, you must not fight over these masks," Master Splinter said to them. Only, soon after, Donnie spoke as well.
"I want the purple one Sensei!" he said to him.
"Eww, purple's gross," Mikey said. "Orange is cooler!"
And so, the four young turtles began to quarrel about which one they wanted, and which one was cooler. Splinter began to become irritated by this, so much so, he yelled at them.
"Yame!" he yelled. All four turtles immediately stopped, and sat down again. The master sighed.
"I am not giving them to you," Splinter said to them. They all looked at him with sad eyes. However, Raph's expression turned into anger as he began to lash out at Leo.
"It's your fault Leo!" he yelled. "He's not gonna give us the masks! I wanted one!" Leo felt a little bit guilty by this, until...
"Raphael!" Splinter scolded. "I said I am not giving them to you. However…" His expression changed as his hand clenching the masks lowered slowly.
"These masks are not just to be given out." The four brothers threw him a questioning look, as they had no idea what their master meant by this. Then, they noticed Splinter clench the masks tighter.
"These masks must be earned!" he yelled.
Immediately his hand rose with great force, carrying the masks with it. Once it was high enough, Master Splinter released his hold on them, causing the the four colored fabrics to soar into the air. At that moment, they all understood. Sensei would not give them the masks because they had to get them themselves. A task involved fighting over them.
Each turtle sprang into action. The purple and orange masks floated away from the group, causing Donnie and Mikey to follow them. Donnie reached up and grabbed the purple one, while Mikey jumped up and reached for orange one.
"I did it Papa!" Mikey screamed out in excitement as he grabbed the mask. Splinter smiled at his two youngest sons.
"Very good, Donatello and Michelangelo," he said to them. Both turtles smiled at him.
The blue mask fell into the corner of the room, while the red one floated towards the center. Both Leonardo and Raphael chased after it, each turtle being neck and neck when it came to the distance between them. The red mask landed on the floor, right in between the two turtles. They stared at it, and looked back at each other. In a second, they got into a fighting stance, each preparing to fight for it.
"I'm not losing to you, Leo!" he said to his older brother.
Said turtle looked determined to beat him as well. And then, at once, the two turtles ran toward each other, fists raised. They collided together, each one matching the other perfectly. Their bodies were in a standstill, holding both of them in one position. Seeing an opening, Leo swung his leg around, hoping to trip Raph. However, his brother was ready for him, as he saw Leo's leg coming at him, he jumped away, avoiding it completely.
Leo tumbled to the ground, as he had lost his balance when he swung his leg. Raph saw the chance, and ran towards him. Normally he would've been able to get up and dodge this, but Leo's strength had been used up after running after the mask. But, he had another plan up his sleeve. Raph jumped towards him, hoping to land a fist against his chest. As he was right above his brother, Leo used his legs to push Raph away before he could hit him.
The turtle landed on the ground away from Leo. But this did not faze Raph, or his determination. He gathered his strength, and ran at Leo once more. Only, Leo did not notice him this time, as he was reaching for the red mask. At the last second, Leo saw his brother ram into him, sending him flying. Pain shot up from his side into his entire body. The young turtle's body tumbled across the floor, and stopped at the corner of the room, next to the blue mask.
Raph grabbed the red mask in triumph, not even seeing the damage his brother was enduring.
"Yes!" He yelled in accomplishment. "Take that Leo! You see Sensei?" But Master Splinter and his two brothers weren't even paying attention.
"Leonardo!" Splinter cried out in fear, running over to his oldest son.
(1) Said turtle was lying on the ground, his eyes squinting in pain. Splinter ran over to his son, placing a hand on his shell.
"Raphael! You need to control your anger!" He scolded his son.
"But Sensei, he's fine! Look!" Raph pointed. They all turned to see Leo slowly getting up. No one noticed the bruises that he obtained from the fight slowly disappear.
"That does not justify for your actions, Raphael," he said to his son. "Anger can cause great destruction, to both you and those around you. You must learn to control it!" Raph felt hatred towards his father and spoke out against him.
"Why are you defending him Master!?" he questioned. "Why is it that every time the three of us do something bad we get punished for it, but when Leo does something bad he doesn't get punished. You love him more than you love us!"
This, for Raphael, was meant to come out for a very long time, but it hasn't happened till now. Donnie and Mikey stared at their older brother, shock coming to them as they saw him speak in such a way. However, as strange as the idea that Raph came to the conclusion of seemed, in a way they agreed with him. Whenever they made a mistake, they were scolded, and the opposite happened for Leonardo.
Leo stood up, ignoring his Sensei's hand on his shoulder. His Master backed away from him, as Leo stood in the corner of the room.
"That's...ugh!" He winced from the pain. "That's not true! Splinter loves all of us the same way. Equally!" Then, to his surprise, Donnie and Mikey came up behind Raph.
"Actually Leo," Donnie started. "Raph is partially true. Sensei seems to treat you better than the three of us." A smirk grew on Raph's face as he heard Donnie say this. Splinter's eyes went wide with shock as two of his sons were saying this to Leonardo.
When he had heard this, the eldest turtle stood there, trying to take all of it in. Not only was Raph accusing him of such things, but Donnie was backing him up as well. Even Mikey was standing behind Raph. Did that mean that even Mikey stood against him? Did that mean...they hated him? No, it couldn't be true.
"Sensei loves all of us!" Leo said to him. "Just because sometimes we do something wrong doesn't mean he loves one of us over the other!" Raph scoffed at this.
"Huh! Then how come you are always trying to please him?" He asked. "You're always trying to be like him! You're a liar!"
The younger brother came up and poked Leo in the shell hard, enough so that if his shell wasn't there, then there would've been a bruise. Leo flinched at this.
"That is enough Raphael!" Splinter yelled. "This has gone on for long enough!" But Raph wasn't ready to stop.
"I'm not done Sensei!" he yelled. "This is one time I beat you in a fight, and you steal all the attention! I wanted Sensei to notice me, but noooo. You always have to be perfect. Always have to show that you're better than us!"
He poked Leo once again, said turtle wincing in pain as he was push against the wall corner. A tint of red filled his blue irises, as if someone was watching the conversation.
"You never spend time with us!" Raph continued shouting at his older brother. "Mikey, Donnie, and me never get to see you. Because you're always trying to show off to us! You're always trying to make us look bad in front of Sensei!"
The two youngest turtles stood there in shock, not even trying to hold Raph back from saying these words. But even they had to admit that what Raph was saying was partially true. Leo barely spent time with them. Even when Mikey tried to get Leo to play with him, the eldest turtle always said that he had training to do with Master Splinter.
Leo fell to the ground, tears beginning to brim from his eyes. But something was keeping them back. His hand felt the blue bandana underneath, as he slowly began to clench it. Leo soon realized that this was the last one left. The one that nobody wanted. He was given the last pick. Did this solidify the fact that his brothers hated him? He wanted desperately to believe it wasn't.
"I HATE YOU!" Raphael yelled. And that was when he did the unthinkable: He punched his older brother in the stomach so hard that Leo had hit his head against the wall. Leo coughed up a bit of blood, causing it to fall onto the blue mask.
"You're the worst brother I ever had! All you do is make our lives miserable! I WISH YOU NEVER EXISTED!"
Finally satisfied at what he had said, Raphael began to calm down. The two youngest brothers, as well as their Sensei, had horrified looks on their face, as if they had just witnessed a murder.
Before they had a chance to say anything, the eldest turtle, clenching the blue mask in hand, raced away from the dojo, with great speed that barely anyone could match.
"LEONARDO!" Splinter cried out in agony as he watched his oldest son run away. By the time he had gotten to the dojo entrance, the turtle was already gone. Donnie and Mikey had caught up to their Sensei. Raph slowly began to realize what had happened, since his anger has dissipated.
"Leo!" he cried out. "I'm sorry!" He hoped his brother heard him.
On the other side of things, Leo ran through the sewers with astonishing speed, something that he didn't remember having up until this point. But he didn't care. At this point, the turtle had realized that his family hated him. Raph most certainly hated him. Donnie and Mikey stood up for Raph, so they hated him as well. And Master Splinter...at that point Leo didn't know what to think. Was his love an entire lie? He, as well as his other two brothers, did nothing to stop Raph from saying such things. So it must've been true.
After such a long time, the young turtle heard the sound of roaring water. He followed a pathway, which was next to flowing water. From there he followed the sound of the roar and kept running, not once looking back to see if his family, who hated him, was coming after him. Leo was catching his breath as he traced his hand along the wall of the sewer. The pathway no longer had other pathways linking to it, and now became one singular path. That was when he had seen it, the sound of flowing water from a waterfall.
This was where Leo has to make a choice, to jump over the fall or to not go any further. If he had turned back his family would've found him and probably punished him for his behavior. So, with no option left, he glanced over the waterfall. The water below looked deep enough to dive in to.
'Here goes nothing,' he thought to himself, clenching the blue mask in his other hand tighter. And then he jumped.
Leo was right, it was very deep. The turtle dove into the water, thankfully unharmed. However, what he had failed to notice was the fact that there was no land to stand on in the watery pit. Leo began to tread water, trying to think of a way out of the situation. And then, it got worse when he could feel rushing water beneath him. The pit was draining, and it was going to take him along with him.
The turtle began to slightly panic, as a slight whirlpool began to churn in the pit. He struggled to keep afloat, as the water tugged at his body. Soon, the current began to take shape, a giant whirlpool forming in the center of the pit. Oh no! He thought in fright. Leo swam desperately, trying to escape the swirling vortex that oh so wanted to pull him underneath. His eyes became frantic, searching all over the place for someplace safe. But it was no use.
At last, the current became too strong for him, causing him to be sucked towards the center, and underwater. Leo took in a big gulp of air, just before he was brought under. Donnie has told him that turtles could go without air for a very long time. He did not know how long he would be like this, or if he would make it out. All he knew was that his family, who now hated him, was not here to see his death, showing that he was a failure after all. And finally, after a short time, Leo succumbed to the dark embrace. (1!)
Hours later, the turtle woke up. He slowly lifted his eyelids. Once they were finally open, he looked at his surroundings. Leo soon realized that he was no longer floating in water, but on solid ground. He groaned as he sat up. The sound of running water could be heard next to him. Leo looked over and saw that there was a stream of water flowing by the stone walkway he was on.
"Where...am I?" Leo said. "What...happened?"
His memory was hazy, not remembering what had transpired or how he got here in the first place. He looked down at his hand, noticing a blue fabric that was below it. The turtle brought it up, and realized that it was a blue mask. Where had this come from? Did Master Splinter…
Then it hit him. His family. They hated him. His eyes widened in shock when he began to remember. The masks. The fight. The pain. The accusations. The flight. The water. Leo's head began to hurt. And then finally, those three words.
"I HATE YOU!" He remembered Raph saying. His family saying nothing to stop him.
At last, after what seemed like they were heard back forever, Leo began to cry. He stood up, threw the mask as far as he could away from him. It landed on the stone pathway not too far from him. The turtle then sat down again, against the wall, knees bent. Leo hugged his knees and rested his head on his knees. Tears streamed forth from his eyes.
"They...hate me…" he choked out. "They hate me…Why? Why? Ahhhh!" Leo wailed out in sadness.
The turtle sobbed, as tears streamed down his face. His body shook, as fear took over him. Leo hadn't cried like this in so long that couldn't remember the last time he did. He had always kept his feelings to himself. This was because Master Splinter had taught him to be the example for his younger brothers. He couldn't show weakness, he couldn't so fear. The turtle was the oldest, and had to protect his brothers.
And yet...they hated him. Why? Leo had spent time with his family. He would comfort Mikey whenever he had a nightmare, help out Donnie whenever he was working on something, heck Leo even spent time with Raph by either being his sparring partner or watching TV. The eldest turtle spent time with his Sensei as well, such as meditating, or rather attempting to do so, as well as other things. Raph had said that he barely spent time with them. Maybe he had spent too much time with Sensei. But still...he wasn't trying to be perfect. Leo wasn't trying to make them look bad. He loved his brothers. If they did better than him, he would be happy. He just wanted to become a better ninja.
Still, even with all this good treatment Leo had given them, they still hated him. What was it then? What characteristic about him did he have that his family hated? Was it because he was trying to be a good fighter? He had no idea at this point. All he knew that his family hated him, and probably never wanted to see him again. The sound of his crying echoed through the area. Leo was all alone. There was no one to comfort him. No one to give him support.
However, he wasn't entirely alone.
Leo did not know how long he sat there and cried. He knew it must've been a long time. However, something felt different. The turtle felt the atmosphere change around him. Underneath him, he could no longer feel the smooth stone of the sewer. Instead, there was a rocky surface. He could no longer hear the sound of running water next to him. Instead, the sound of waves was heard. Was he hallucinating?
(2) The turtle opened his eyes, which were now red from the crying. He looked down, seeing an entirely new floor. His eyes widened in curiosity. Leo then lifted his head and gasped at what he saw. He was no longer in the sewers, but in a very large, open cave. In the center of the cave was a pool of water. His eyes trailed to the center of it, seeing the reflection of the moon. Moonlight came through a hole at the top of the cavern. Had it turned to night already?
He slowly got up, his hands trailing the eroded but still uneven floor. Surprisingly, it wasn't wet. But for some reason, something that Leonardo didn't know, this place felt familiar. It was like he was here before, sometime in his life. But how did he get here from the sewers?
Leo began to walk around slowly. "Hello?" he slowly called out.
There was no answer. The turtle looked around the cave, trying to see if there was any way out other than up. Around the cave appeared to be blue lights, which was oddly strange. Then, he noticed something even stranger. At one area of the cave, there were giant steel bars. In the middle was wording that Leo couldn't make out.
So, curious to learn more, he walked over to the giant bars. To him it looked like a giant prison inside the cave, meant to hold something back. What that said something was he didn't know. As he got closer, Leo was able to read the words on the middle bar. Eight Trigrams Seal.
What the heck was that? An Eight Trigrams Seal? He had absolutely no idea what this meant. The middle bar looked climbable, so he came up to it, put his hands and feet on it, and began to traverse up it. At once he seemed to forget the fact of what happened between him and his family. Leo became so focused on what this was, and he wanted to find out.
At last he reached the top. Leo saw that the thing that said Eight Trigrams Seal on it was just a piece of paper. He peeled it up, seeing something very complicated underneath. This, he assumed, was the lock.
"Arrggghh!" he groaned, as he used his hands to tug at it. The turtle used his feet as support, while his hands attempted to shake the middle bar. However, it was no use. The piece of paper fell back on the lock.
"You won't be able to open it, brat," A voice echoed throughout the cavern.
This, in turn, startled Leonardo. He lost his hold on the middle bar, and fell towards the ground.
"Ahhhh!" he cried out. The young turtle covered his eyes in fright, anticipating himself hitting the ground. However, instead of feeling the hard rocky ground, he felt something soft beneath him. He opened his eyes, and saw orange fur, and lots of it. The fur felt soft, and familiar.
Leo looked over to his side, and noticed he was lying on a big orange thing, which was keeping him above the ground. He gasped at the sight, and noticed that the orange thing had come from between the metal bars. Slowly but surely, it moved the turtle closer and closer to the bars. Finally, the turtle was taken through the bars with ease.
"Hello?" Leo asked, with a hint of curiosity and nervousness in it. He felt as if he recognized the voice somehow. The darkness seemed to fade away, as the owner of said giant orange thing appeared in front of Leo. To this, his eyes widened in shock.
The orange thing was actually a tail. Well, one tail out of nine. The figure in front of him was a giant orange fox. Its ears were pointy and long, just as any fox would have. However, the inner black part of its ears extended to around its eyes. Two sets of three black lines were on either side of its face. It had a long snout as well. Its paws had five fingers, almost human-like hands. And it had nine tails. Nine huge tails! The fox must've been as tall as a building! Leo wasn't even as tall as the fox's eye! But the most noticeable of all, was the giant red irises the fox had, which could probably scare the heck out of anymore.
But for some reason, Leo felt as if he knew this fox. Sure, he never seen this fox in his life, even when he was with his family, however it seemed like he had seen him. It wasn't on TV. It wasn't in his comic books. So who was this fox? Better yet, where was he? And how did he get here?
For a while, there was a moment of silence between the two beings. Blue irises stared back at red, the other doing the same. Neither moved, save for the fox's tail that the young turtle was standing on. They both held blank expressions, neither had a happy look or a horrified look. The fox did not bother to show his teeth, likewise Leo did not bother to get into a fighting position. Neither were afraid of the other. The silence seemed to last for eternity. Until…
"Do...do I know you?" Leo asked him.
The fox's eyes widened in surprise. His ears perked up high and alert. These actions didn't frighten the turtle. But, in the fox's mind, it was a whole other story. The turtle had recognized him? After ten years of the turtle not seeing the fox, he still remembered him. This surprised him, for he did not think that his memory would go so far back to the point of infancy. But, from the time he first encountered the turtle, he knew that there was something special about him.
The fox began to chuckle softly. It was definitely male. Leo turned his head slightly to the side, a questionable look formed on his face. "Is it something I said?" he asked. The turtle had no idea what was so funny for the fox. But for one thing, the chuckle wasn't one of a sinister origin. So that was somewhat of a good sign. He could not completely trust this fox, but he felt this fox wasn't going to pull anything yet.
"I am surprised you remembered me," the fox commented to Leo, his voice echoing through the cave. A smirk grew on his face. "Heh! You managed to impress me by coming here!" This confused the turtle even more.
"How do I know you?" he asked the fox. "And where are we?"
To this, the fox lowered his tail to the ground, allowing Leo to jump off and onto the ground. He walked closer to the fox, and said being lowered his head and placed it on his crossed arms. It was like he was in a sleeping position.
"You know me," the fox began. "Because I saved your life ten years ago…"
Leo's blue irises widened in shock. Ten years ago? Why did that sound familiar? Then it hit him. Master Splinter had told him and his brothers the story, but gave the full extent to Leonardo, just so his brothers wouldn't freak out. When all four turtles were mutated, he had gone unconscious for almost an entire year. His Master had no idea why this happened to begin with, but he had suspected it had something to do with their mutation. There was also the fact that from what he learned from Master Splinter, when he was still human and bought them from the pet store, the eldest turtle was not expected to live.
This further fueled his master's anxiety when they had mutated. He had begun to treat the four infant turtles as sons, not actual pets. And then almost a year had past, still taking care of his younger brothers who were healthy while he lay comatose, clinging onto life. Until one night, where everything came crashing down. The night where his heart stopped.
Splinter had tried everything to heal him. Of course, he could not obtain medical equipment because of his current state. He did everything he could, using old healing mantras. These however, still didn't work. It was at the point where his master had to hope he would live. And by some miracle, Leonardo's heart came alive again. It was as if some mystical entity healed him.
The turtle stood there in shock. Could this giant fox really have healed him? But how? Master Splinter would've seen the fox. Heck, probably all of New York would've seen him. He probably wouldn't even fit in the sewers to begin with! So how did he heal Leo ten years ago then? It did not make any sense.
"H..How?" Leo stuttered out.
To this, the fox moved one of tails towards the turtle. The soft tip of the tail touched the turtle's stomach area, or what would be his stomach area if his shell wasn't there. Suddenly, an area on his shell began to glow. Leo was amazed by this, as he saw a swirl mark lit up in blue. It flashed a few times, and then there was a steady blue glow. He looked up at the fox again.
"What is this?" He asked.
"A seal sign," the giant fox replied. "And one of the most annoying ones out there. An Eight Trigrams Seal Sign to be exact."
The fox used one of his tails to point above. The turtle looked at where he was pointing and saw the wording again. Eight Trigrams Seal. Leo was still confused by this. What did the fox mean?
"I...I still don't understand," Leo told him. He hoped the fox wouldn't be mad at him. But, the fox certainly was losing his patience.
'Keep it together Kurama,' he thought. 'He's not human. He doesn't understand anything.'
"Why am I here?" The young turtle asked. "How did you save me ten years ago?" Looks like he would have to explain everything himself then. The fox sighed, ears lowering. Leo could sense his distress. The young turtle became nervous.
"Oh! I'm...I'm sorry!" He blurted out immediately.
"Hmm?" The fox hummed.
"Please don't be mad! I...I don't want anyone else hating me!" A few tears came to his eyes, as he began to cry a little. The fox's eyes widened at this.
This reminded him of himself, when he was younger. Back when the old man had passed on, he as well as the other tailed beasts were sent to live in temples across the land. However, instead of being treated with kindness like the old man did, they were treated with hatred.
"Heh! I am actually quite fond of you!" the fox said to him. Leo looked up at him.
"R..really?" he sniffed out. He nodded to him, but there was no smirk on his face. The fox grew tense.
"I will give you your answer, since you do not feel afraid of or fear me. It is a long explanation, so listen well." The turtle nodded, and sat down. The fox in return, sat up.
"What's your name?" Leo asked him.
The fox was surprised that he would ask about his name. "My name is Kurama," he said to him.
"That's a cool name," the turtle said to him. "I wish I had a name like that."
"Your name means 'Lion,' I think it suits you," Kurama stated. "The rodent chose well, despite him just choosing it random." He scoffed at the last part.
"How…?" Leo trailed off, but Kurama interrupted him quickly.
"I am one of the nine tailed beasts, the strongest of them!" he began proudly. "I am from an entirely different dimension. One where shinobi roam the land, things aren't as advanced, and humans...tch! They are a bit more idiotic." He paused for a moment, then began again.
"Ten years ago, I was on a rampage through the Hidden Leaf Village, because a stupid human decided to take control of me! Even after being freed from his control, my hatred towards humanity still existed. And so, I tore the human village to shreds!"
"My terror only stopped, when a human was able to stop me and seal me!" he continued, with a hint of anger added.
"He wanted to seal me inside of his son, of all humans! But...this is where you come in." Leo shot him a confused look.
"Me?" he asked. The giant fox nodded. "What do you mean by 'sealing?'" the turtle asked.
"During your 'mutation' as the rodent would call it, those humans who caused the event were coming into my dimension. This was also around the same time I was causing destruction. So, instead of my soul being sealed inside the boy, my soul traveled to your dimension through a portal. To answer you question earlier, this place is your mindscape."
"My...mindscape?" The turtle whispered to himself. It was at that moment Kurama lost his patience.
"I am sealed inside of you!" He yelled.
That was the moment Leo's blue irises shrunk to the size of pinpricks. This fox, no...Kurama, was inside of him? This place was inside of his own mind? The shock overtook him like a storm. The young turtle began to panic, breath hitches inside of him lungs. Did his family know about this? Was this the reason why his family hated him? Because of a giant nine-tailed fox being held within his body?
"Is this…" He choked out. "Is this why my family hates me?" Kurama shook his head.
"No," the fox replied. "Your family does not even know I exist, which is a good thing for now." Leo let out a sigh of relief, but was still shocked from what the fox had told him.
"However, on that day, you became my jinchuriki," he stated.
"Jin...jin..jinchu..riki?" Leo was having a hard time pronouncing it.
"Those with a tailed-beast inside of them are called jinchuriki. It means 'Power of Human Sacrifice.' After your 'mutation,' your body could not handle my chakra. So, you slept for 9 months." A growl began to rise in his throat.
"I awoke, finding myself sealed, cursing the Hokage! That human had sealed me inside of that brat!"
"Although, it wasn't the brat I was sealed in. It was you. You were dying because of me. And so, I felt pity on you, and restored you. I have spent ten years sealed inside of you. I have felt your negative emotions. Your hatred. Your sadness. Your anger." Leo's head was down, a feeling of guilt passing over the young turtle.
"I'm sorry," he said to Kurama. "I'm sorry you've had to be inside of me for all these years. I'm sorry I've made someone else in my life suffer!"
That was when the turtle broke down in tears. He kneeled on the ground, hands keeping him up. The tears streamed down his face quickly as he began to sob.
"I'm not fearless!" Leo yelled out in between sobs. "Everyone hates me! I'm a failure!"
All the while, Kurama just stared, eyes widened to the point where his pupils could barely have been seen. The shock was flooding his system. The turtle apologized to him? A tailed beast? The old man was probably rolling over in laughter in his grave at this point if he had ever seen the fox in this situation. All of his life Kurama had been treated with hatred and disgust, and now someone was apologizing to him for making him feel these emotion? What kind of universe was this?
The giant fox didn't exactly know what to do in this sort of situation. He wasn't that specialized in comfort. But it had something to do with encouragement, just as the old man did to him when he was younger. So, he brought one of his tails out and wrapped it around the turtle gently. In a sense it was almost like a hug. Kurama nearly choked at the thought of him giving a hug. He would never stoop that low in his life!
Leo felt the soft orange fur around him and looked up. He saw that one of Kurama's tails was gently around him.
"Why…?" He asked him.
"Because, you are the first being since my creator to have respected me…"
"Respected… you?" The young turtle asked. The giant fox nodded.
"We tailed beasts have not been respected by humans for many years," he began.
"I have grown to hate humanity because of their treatment towards me and my fellow beasts. They have tried to capture me. Use me. Enslave me! I was sealed inside two humans before you, and they managed to keep my power at bay, all while boasting about it! But even when I was sealed inside of you, I had realized you were not human, but still acted like one. And my temper began to rise, thinking of what you could become."
"However, you are not the type of being to take advantage of something or someone. I have seen through your actions with your 'brothers.' Despite being the oldest, you have protected them, encouraged them, loved them with all your heart. Something I haven't seen in a human or any being since my creator. And when you were young, you had and still have the potential to become a great shinobi, despite what your family thinks of you."
"The reason I kept you alive was, and even my fellow beasts would laugh at me for saying this, I had hope in you. Hope that you would not fear me and abuse my power like all humans in the past have done. And I was right! Heh!"
'Let's see if Shukaku could've come up with a greater speech than that!' He thought, boasting about his pride in the speech he gave. Although, it was something he thought he would've never had said. Trusting and hoping in his jinchuriki? The world must've been hit with a giant genjutsu.
Leo's tears dried up as Kurama finished speaking. He wiped away the stains on his face and stared up at the fox.
"Kurama?" Leo asked.
"Hmm?" The fox hummed.
"Will you...be my friend?" At this, the giant fox's eyes became white with shock, and his jaw slacked as his body fell over onto his side. Leo looked at him in a nervous way.
"Are you alright?" He asked.
The fox somewhat nodded and also somewhat shook his head. "I am not used to be treated...this way…" he could barely get the last words out of his mouth. Kurama then stood up, releasing his tail from Leo and pulling it behind him.
"Why are you doing this?" Leo's head lowered to the ground as he closed his eyes to think of the right words.
"You believe in me," Leo stated. "Today wasn't the greatest day. But, I see that there is someone out there who cares about me, who has hope in me. I want to be your friend because...I think you need one. You said humans have been treating you badly right? Well, I'll end that cycle! I want to help you get out of my mind! Starting here!"
That was the moment when Leo held out a fist towards the giant fox. Said being looked confused at what he was doing.
"It's called a fist bump," he explained. "Mikey said that if you're friends, you bump fists together. I don't know why, but I want to do it now. And, I've never had a real friend before. So, why not now?" (2!)
A smirk grew on Kurama's face, knowing full well that he had made the right decision to keep the young turtle alive 10 years ago instead of being reincarnated. He nodded his head, and extended his fist towards him.
"Heh! Thank you for treating me as an equal! It is something us tailed beasts have waited for a long time, and will start here!"
Their fists met.
That was the moment Leo felt a surge of power run through his body.
"That is my chakra you are feeling," Kurama stated. "It is my life force meeting with yours, and can be turned into power of your own. The chakra you have is mine, which I gave to you ten years ago. No one in this dimension has chakra, which makes you unique. However…"
He and Leo separates their fists. "Your hands may not be able to do the signs for the jutsu to initiate. But there is a way around this. I want you to wake up."
"Wake up?" He asked.
"Leave your mindscape, and I will show you. Just think of leaving, and it will happen."
Leo closed his eyes and focused. He began to think about leaving this cave, and returning to the sewers he had fallen asleep in. When he opened his eyes, he found himself back in the sewers.
"Good," Kurama stated. Leo was shocked to still hear the fox speak.
"You will be the only one able to hear me because I am inside of you. Now, I want you to do these three signs in the order I show you. I will explain later. First will be dog, second will be boar, last will be ram." An image of the three hand signs appeared in his mind.
"Before you do anything, think of something you always wanted to transform into."
Leo questioned this, but followed him anyway. The turtle remembered a story a few years back, one that Master Splinter had told them. It was about the Greek hero Hercules, killing the Nemean lion, named Leo. At the end of the story, the lion was placed in the stars for its courage and bravery. After that, him and his brothers had played a game of 'Lion' where Leo himself was the 'lion.' Even though it was just a pretend game, the turtle himself felt more brave calling himself a lion than a turtle. He would be stronger and more skillful.
'I have it,' he thought in his mind, hoping that Kurama would hear. The fox did hear him.
"Now do the signs," he repeated.
The turtle began to do them. First, Leo placed his flattened left hand over his right hand, which he formed into a fist, making the dog sign. Then, he made his hands into fists and connected them while they faced downward, making the boar sign. Lastly, he brought his hands together, placing his left thumb on top of the other, while his other two fingers remained straight, forming the ram sign. Once he was done with this, Leo felt as if a gateway had opened in his system.
(3) "Now yell, 'Transformation Jutsu!'" the fox commanded.
"Transformation Jutsu!" the turtle yelled. To his surprise, there was a puff of smoke around him. He felt his body begin to change. Leo felt as if he was getting lighter, like something was lifted from his body and thrown away. Gradually, the smoke dissipated, and when it did, Leo was left with shock.
"WHAT!?" he cried out, his voice echoing through the sewer.
He no longer looked like a turtle, but instead he looked like a lion cub. Leo had no mane, since he was young. His fur was a tan color. The former turtle looked behind him and saw a tail with fur on the end. His hands had turned into paws, which had five fingers.
"Woah," he said, running over to the water. Leo saw his new reflection in the water. The only thing that didn't change was his blue eyes.
"Heh! Figured you choose that!" Kurama said in his mind. Leo couldn't see him, but the fox was smirking.
"With this form, you will be able to perform more jutsu like you just did. In your previous form, you did not have enough fingers." The cub's eyes widened at this.
'How many jutsus are there?' He asked him.
"Too many," Kurama stated. "And still more being created. But I will say more on that later."
Leo turned his head around, seeing the blue mask that he had thrown earlier. He walked slowly over it, still trying to get used to the fact that he just magically changed from a turtle to a freaking lion! Leo looked at the mask, contemplating on what to do with it.
"I do not think your brother meant what he said," the fox said.
'What do you mean?' Leo asked.
"I have the ability to sense negative emotions. When you were running out the door, I could no longer sense the hatred in him. The opposite happened. He felt sorry."
His eyes widened at this. 'He...he did?' Leo asked him.
"I do not think your brother meant it," Kurama stated.
"Those who are clouded by anger can say things they would never say. I would know. And your other brothers did not mean what they did either. They were scared. The rodent tried his best to stop it as well. Sometimes negative emotions hit too hard for us to pay attention to it."
The lion cub then picked up the mask. 'I think I'll take it,' he said to Kurama. 'I'm starting to like the color blue better than red. Plus it looks cooler!'
"That's not the only piece of clothing you need," Kurama chuckled. Leo felt himself blush in embarrassment. He began to tie the mask on his face, but it wouldn't fit. Instead, he tied it around his neck gently, making it look like a scarf. Though, it was not the most comfortable.
"We'll work on the clothes," Kurama stated. And again, Leo blushed.
For a while, about a few hours, Leo walked through the sewers in his new form. He walked on two legs instead of four, trying to get used to walking. All the while, he talked to Kurama about anything, from chakra to jutsu, from history of his world and the tailed beasts. He learned many things, such as the traditions of the shinobi world, and how it was so simplistic. Kurama had expressed his shock when he saw how technologically advanced this world was.
Leo found himself very interested in the knowledge that Kurama said to him. He wanted to visit this world. It seemed more interesting than his own. It was one where he could walk out in the open, not having to worry about people shame him or being experimented on for being a mutant. Leonardo wanted to visit it, to see the nature and wonders of that world.
He walked until he saw something that caught his eye. A ladder. One the led to a manhole cover, and up to the surface. A place where Leo had never gone before. Moonlight shown through the tiny hole in the manhole cover, a sight that slightly intrigued the lion cub. He was tempted to grab onto the ladder, the climb up it and see the world above him. On the other hand, he was afraid of going up there. Sensei had said to not go up there, and forbade him and his brothers to ever go up there.
'Should I go up there?' he asked the fox. 'Before I go back?'
"The rodent won't even let you go up there when you return home. So go and get a good look now!" He nodded his head, and began to climb the ladder. However, Leo heard a voice call down the tunnel, thanks to his now improved hearing.
"Leooooo?" a voice called. It was Raph.
'No no no!' He thought. 'I can't have him seeing me like this!'
He began to climb faster up the ladder. At last, he reached the top and pushed on the cover.
The lion cub did not think. All he did was run. Thankfully Raphael didn't notice him going to the surface, a place where he would've been killed if his family ever found out he went to it. He saw another ladder, which led to a bunch of platforms and more ladders. He grabbed a hold of it, and climbed up it, not even having a second thought. Leo went up a few more platforms and ladders, until he reached the top.
He began to catch his breath, having lost it as he had ran up as fast of he could.
'Where...am I?' he thought.
"Take a look," Kurama stated.
Leo took a look around. He was on top of a building! How did he get up here? His eyes turned to the side of the building, as he began to walk towards it. When he got there, the lion cub gasped in shock.
The skyline of the city.
Huge, tall skyscrapers towered over the city. They shone brightly, as their lights lit up the night sky. Humans, real humans, walked the streets below, which were lit up as well. It was a sight to behold. It was something that Leo had never seen in his life before. Kurama himself, was also staring in shock. To think that this human world was so advanced.
'It's...it's beautiful…' He thought. 'I've never seen anything like it!' Leo took in the sight for a little bit longer.
'Is Konoha like this?' The lion cub asked.
"No," Kurama stated. "But, I think it is better than this place." He looked back at the city in front of him.
'Do you think I'll ever be able to visit there?'
"I am hoping one day I will be able to go home," the fox said. "Where I can roam free without stupid humans bothering me."
Leo didn't speak to Kurama for a while. Then, he began again.
'I hope one day I'll be able to visit there, and bring you home. I promise I will… And someday, I'll be able to come back up here to the surface.'
After staying there for a half an hour, Leo began to climb down the ladder to the street. He lifted up the manhole cover and disappeared to the sewers below.
He took the long way home, trying to avoid any confrontations with his family. And thankfully, Leo was able to avoid them. After walking through the tunnels, he finally found himself at his home. Nobody was home. They still must've been out searching for him. He was happy about this. So, he quickly ran to his room and shut the door.
'How do I..?' he asked, not knowing what the exact word was for undoing the jutsu.
"Release it?" Kurama responded. "Just think about yourself turning back into what you were before, and it will release."
Leo got on his bed, and curled up and fell asleep. A smile grew on his face, knowing that today, while it may have turned out bad in the beginning, got better in the end. He would keep Kurama's existence a secret from his family, and free him one day. Leo fell asleep and released the jutsu, turning back into a mutant turtle.
A half an hour later, Raph opened the door to Leo's room and gasped. There was his brother, all curled up in his bed, the blue mask adorned on his face. He was smiling.
"SENSEI!" Raph called as he ran out of the room.
He didn't know why his brother looked happy while he was sleeping. But Leo know why…
...Because he had made a friend… (3!)
Author's Note
That is the end of Chapter 1! So, with all of my stories, here's some info!
Ok, I made the storyline a bit more different than Lone Rat and Cubs, well obviously, but I mean with the masks part. I'm assuming the turtles are ten, because I don't think Splinter would've started training them at like six or seven. (Well besides Leo in some canon I don't remember which) I thought it would be a bit more symbolic since the masks are basically their identities.
So Leo can use Transformation Jutsu! As the name implies, it enables the user to transform into something else, with the use of hand seals. Thankfully, the seals weren't complicated ones to use for Leo (if they were, I was gonna flip out about it XD) The reason I did this was A. He could have more fingers to do jutsu, because Donnie is obviously gonna notice why Leo has five fingers instead of three, and B. Even if there was a jutsu out there that could give Leo two extra fingers (which to my knowledge doesn't exist, correct me if I'm wrong) it probably would be very complicated and painful to switch in and out of, and C. I don't know why, but my headcannon for some reason sees Leo as a big cat XD also gives him a secret identity.
I tried my best writing Kurama. I will admit that this is my first time writing something Naruto/part Naruto, not the case for TMNT, I have written other stuff that's not up. At the beginning I tried to have him act like himself, hopefully eventually he'll get a bit better. I have been reading up on his personality, so hopefully I'll nail it at one point.
So, what do you think? Good? Bad? Thank you guys for the support on the last chapter! I really appreciate it!
Until next time, See Ya Universe!
Palkia