Chapter 9: Heavenly Wisdom

"There's no words." Mantis said as the Furious Five walked up to the student barrackslater that night.

"No denying that." Crane agreed.

"I don't understand what Master Oogway was thinking. The poor guy's just going to get himself killed!" Viper said, sounding like she was the only one concerned.

"He's so mighty!" Crane said mockingly, as if he were to tell some great legend of old. "The Dragon Warrior… fell out of the sky on a ball of fire! And when the moment came, his guardians emerged from the shadows to follow him."

"When he walks, the very ground shakes!" Mantis added, getting the others to laugh except for Tigress who scrunched her nose at the apt image.

"One would think," She said, walking past them, "that Oogway would choose someone who actually knew kung fu. At least his guardians are… somewhat adequate, to say the least."

The others looked surprised at the idea of Tigress, the iron and unbreakable warrior, actually complimenting someone.

Well, it wasn't exactly a compliment, but still…

Viper was the first to break the silence. "True, they at least have some potential." She then looked up at her comrades with her trademark serpentine grin. "Besides, I think the red one's kinda cute, in a tough grungy kind of way."

"Still, back to what Tigress was saying, one would think that Master Oogway would at least choose someone who could at least touch their toes." Crane said, going back to the panda.

"Or even see his toes." Monkey muttered as the others chuckled.

As the Five walked off laughing, Po, Leonardo, Donatello, Michelangelo, and Raphael emerged far behind them, having pretty much heard the entire conversation.

Raph frowned. "And here I actually thought these guys were kinda cool." He said, folding his arms. "Turns out, they're actually jerks."

"At least they kinda think we're cool." Mikey said, looking on the bright side as always. He then grinned. "Besides, looks like that snake girl's kinda got the hots for you, Raph."

The hot headed turtle lightly smacked his baby brother upside the head. "I'm already spoken for, ya moron." He said, reminding Mikey of Raph's actual girlfriend Mona Lisa.

Donnie gave Po a sad smile, placing a comforting hand on the downcasted panda's shoulder. "Ah, don't listen to them, Po. I'm sure you can see your toes."

Po glanced at the purple clad turtle for a moment before attempting to look at his toes himself, but just seeing his bloated gut. He lifted his belly as much as he could, leaning forward further and further until he fell over on his face.

Donnie's sad smile slowly faded. "Or not."

Leo, however, remained silent, still contemplating Tigress' rather harsh words on their panda friend. In a way, it reminded him what Tigerclaw had told him the night they went to end the Super Shredder.

"Do you feel it, boy? The weight of the world crushing you, now that your sensei is gone."

Even though many many months had passed since that event, it still stung to think back to that moment. It still made Leo's heart ache at how much he and his brothers missed their father.

It still sparked a bit of unbridled rage in the heart of the Leader in Blue.

But he dared not show it.


Inside the barracks, the Furious Five were already in their rooms blowing out their candles as Po and the turtles entered the building.

The hallway was dark and now very quiet.

"I guess we just… pick our rooms." Leo whispered with a shrug.

Of course, the ninja turtles being… well, ninjas, were able to easily move across the creaky wooden floor with almost no noise so as to not disturb the Five from their slumber.

Po, however, was not a ninja. Far from it. His footsteps made loud creaking sounds as he tried to quietly tip-toe over to the end of the hall.

As he took his next step, however, the floorboards immediately gave out under him.

The turtles instantly froze at the loud noise before turning around to see the panda trying to pull himself out of the broken floor.

Leo let out a tired sigh while Raph lightly facepalmed, Donnie and Mikey already quietly tip-toeing over to help Po out of the broken floorboards.

Each grabbing one of the panda's arms, Donnie and Mikey tried not to grunt too loudly as they struggled to heft Po out of the hole. Even though neither of them wanted to say it, the panda was indeed very heavy even for them.

Eventually, Po came out of the floorboards with a slight pop, his sudden freedom causing him, Donnie, and Mikey to stumble back and through a bedroom door, startling none other than Crane.

"Oh! Uh, hi, you're up!" Po exclaimed as Donnie and Mikey shuffled a little awkwardly in their places.

"Am now." Crane replied.

"I was just, uh… some day, huh? That kung fu stuff is hard work, right? Your biceps sore?" Po said.

Crane awkwardly looked at his wing before replying, "Um… I've had a long and rather disappointing day, so uh… yeah, I should probably get to sleep now."

"Yeah, yeah, yeah, of course." Po said as Donnie and Mikey were already leaving the room.

"Hope we can fix this some other time." Donnie spoke up, gesturing to the door. "So sorry about this."

"Yeah, man." Mikey said. "Good night."

"Okay, thanks." Crane replied, sounding relieved.

The two then left the room, with Po looking like he was going to go with them when he turned back to the crane master.

"It's just… I'm such a big fan." Po said, geeking out and getting a weary sigh from Crane. "You guys were totally amazing at the Battle of Weeping River. Outnumbered a thousand to one, but you didn't stop, and then you just… WA-YA-HA-HA-HI-YAH!" He then spun around it what could hardly be called spastic imitations of kung fu before suddeny kicking his foot through the paper wall.

Pulling his foot out, Po bent down and looked through the hole, seeing Monkey attempting to do meditation and not looking very pleased at being interrupted.

"Ooh, sorry about that." Po cringed sheepishly.

"Look, you don't belong here." Crane said.

Po looked stung, hearing that from one of his heroes as he let out a sigh. "I know. I know." He said, sounding a bit deflated. "I just – my whole life, I've dreamed of-"

Crane quickly stopped him before he could embarrass himself further. "No no no, I meant, you don't belong here, I mean. In this room. This is my room." He interjected before tapping his foot on the floor. "Property of Crane! Heh heh…"

"Ooh…" Po said in realization. "Right right. Yeah, you want to get to sleep."

"Yeah." Crane replied as the panda began backing out of the room.

"I'm keeping you up. We got big things tomorrow." He then slowly began shutting the door. "Alright. You're awesome. Last thing I'm gonna say-" Before he could finish, a green hand quickly covered his mouth and pulled him away from the door as it closed, leaving Crane to his own thoughts.

Outside in the hallway, Donnie uncovered his hand from Po's mouth. "Maybe next time, try to actually give some stressed kung fu masters some space." The smart turtle hissed at him.

Po raised his hands in surrender. "Okay, okay, sorry. It's just… I'm a big fan."

"I get that. But at least try to keep your inner fanboy to a minimum while we're here." Donnie told him before quietly tip-toeing down the hall. "We're on thin ice enough as it is."

"So where's Leo, Raph, and Mikey?" Po asked.

"They're in their own rooms already." Donnie replied quietly. "And I'm going to be heading to mine and you should too." He said, sliding open the door to his room before going in and sliding the door closed behind him.

Po was about to follow him to find a vacant room of his own, his feet creaking on the floor, when Tigress suddenly opened her bedroom doors, her amber eyes practically glowing in the darkness as she glared at him with the utmost contempt.

"Master Tigress!" Po flinched. "Didn't mean to wake you. I just, uh-"

"You don't belong here." Tigress said, her voice laced with bitterness.

"Uh, yeah, yeah." Po replied. "Of course. This is your room,"

"I mean, you don't belong in the Jade Palace." She cut him off. "You're a disgrace to kung fu and if you have any respect for who we are and what we do," She then leaned in so close their noses were almost touching, "you and your friends will be gone by morning." She then pulled back into her room, shutting the doors behind her, leaving Po standing there stunned and saddened.

"Big fan…" Po said loudly.

He was met with nothing but silence.

Sighing to himself, Po knew when he was not wanted as he quietly walked out of the hallway and out of the student barracks with no one seeming to notice.

No one… except a certain blue clad turtle peeking his head out from his room.


Po exited the student barracks quietly and didn't stop walking until he reached a small peach tree sitting on the edge of a small cliff.

Sitting down, the panda let out a heavy sigh.

"Seeking a place of solitude?"

Po's back shot up as he spun around to see Leo standing behind him, a calm and collected expression on his face.

"Hey, Leo." He said dejectedly.

"Is this about earlier today?" The blue clad turtle asked.

Po simply nodded, causing Leo to let out a sigh as he sat down next to him. "I know it's hard, but you shouldn't let this discourage you. Sure, you may not be a kung fu master, but no one is when they're a beginner. You just have to give it time and patience."

"Yeah, but how long?" Po questioned.

Leo didn't seem to have an answer to that at first before he responded. "That's for you to figure out on your own."

Po looked down, digesting the blue clad turtle's words before they heard the sounds of rustling coming behind them.

Looking back, they saw Raph, Donnie, and Mikey coming up the steps towards them.

"What are you guys doing up?" Po asked.

"Woke up and noticed you guys were gone, so we came looking for you." Raph simply replied. "Gotta say, I didn't really expect you guys to be getting all sappy under a peach tree."

"Speaking of which, we're sorry your idols haven't treated you very well." Donnie said, sounding a little somber.

"Oh no, you guys shouldn't be apologizing for that." Po assured him. "That's not your fault."

"Anyway…" Mikey said, wanting to change the subject to something a bit more positive. He then leaped into the peach tree and pulled out several peaches from the branches. "Peaches, anybody?"

"Sure, I could eat." Po said, holding out his hands, to which the party turtle promptly dropped some freshly picked peaches into the panda's waiting arms. "You guys want any?" He asked, taking a bite out of one of the peaches.

"No thanks." Leo waved off.

"I'm good." Raph brushed off.

"All yours." Donnie replied.

"Your loss." Mikey shrugged as he jumped down from the tree, taking a bite out of a peach in his hand.

For a while, the five of them sat in silence as Po and Mikey chewed on the peaches. Though none of them noticed Master Oogway walking up the stairs towards them while carrying a Chinese lamp like a lantern.

"I see you have found the Sacred Peach Tree of Heavenly Wisdom." Oogway commented with a warm smile.

The five of them spun around while Po and Mikey immediately dropped the peaches in shock.

"Is that what this is?" Po asked, his mouth full. "I am so sorry, we thought it was just a regular peach tree."

"Yeah, dude! Besides, if you should be mad at anyone, be mad at me!" Mikey said, swallowing the pieces of peach he had already eaten. "I was the one who said we should have some peaches!"

Oogway simply smiled, looking quite amused. "It is quite alright, young Michelangelo." He told Mikey.

Mikey and his brothers all blinked. "Wait, you know my name?"

Oogway chuckled, "Of course I do. And I know your brothers as well."

"How?" Donnie asked, sounding baffled.

"I'm a master." Was Oogway's simple response.

The turtles and Po glanced at each other, surprise and even some admiration in their eyes.

Oogway then turned his attention to Po. "I understand. You eat when you are upset."

Po spat out one of the peaches in his mouth before folding his arms behind his back. "Upset? I'm not upset. What makes you think I'm upset?"

Raph let out a fake cough. "Liar." He muttered with a little smirk, only to be silenced by an elbow from Donnie and a stern look from Leo.

"So why are you upset?" Oogway asked.

Po looked to Leo, Donnie, Raph, and Mikey, who all simply shrugged. The panda sighed, figuring there was no use in trying to lie to the wise Master Oogway.

"I probably sucked more today than anyone in the history of kung fu, in the history of China, in the history of sucking." Po sighed sadly.

"Probably." Oogway said.

"And the Five… man, you should have seen them, they totally hate me." Po added sadly.

"Totally." Oogway said.

"Well, maybe not Viper. She didn't really hate you." Mikey spoke up, being silenced when Raph smacked him upside the head.

Po let out another long-suffering sigh. "How's Shifu ever gonna turn me into the Dragon Warrior?" He asked, lifting his enormous belly and dropping it, causing it to bounce until he stopped it with his paw. "I mean, I'm not like the Five. I've got no claws, no wings, no venom. Even Mantis has those…" He held up his fingers, imitating Mantis' front legs, "... thingies."

"Pincers?" Donnie suggested.

"Yeah, that's it." Po replied. "And I'm not like the guys, either." He said, gesturing to the turtles. "I don't have swords or sai or a staff or nunchucks. And I don't have awesome ninja skills either. Maybe I should just quit and go back to making noodles."

Leo, Donnie, Mikey, and even Raph gazed sympathetically at the pitiful panda.

Oogway simply looked at Po for a moment before he spoke. "Quit, don't quit." He said, getting their attention. "Noodles, don't noodles. You are too concerned with what was and what will be." A warm smile quivered its way onto his wrinkled lips. "There is a saying; Yesterday is history, tomorrow is a mystery, but today is a gift. That is why it is called the present."

Oogway then lightly tapped the tree with his stick, making a peach fall into Po's paw.

Po, Leo, Donnie, Raph, and Mikey stared after the old Galapagos turtle in surprise as Oogway walked away.

"Wow, that's deep, yo." Mikey whispered.

"He kind of reminds me of Master Splinter." Donnie added.

Po raised a brow. "Whose Master Splinter?"

Raph looked to the panda with a ghost of a smile. "He was our sensei. The guy who taught us how to be ninjas." His smile slowly faded as he donned a more solemn look. "And he was also a father to us. But… we lost him a while ago."

Po frowned sadly. "Oh… I'm… so sorry." He smiled a little. "He sounds like he was an awesome guy."

Raph chuckled. "Yeah, he really was something. And… he was the best dad a turtle could have."

Meanwhile, Leo lightly jogged up to Master Oogway. "Master Oogway," He spoke up, getting the old turtle's attention, "thank you for your wisdom." The blue clad turtle bowed respectfully.

Oogway chuckled. "You are most welcome, Leonardo." He replied, placing a hand on Leo's shoulder. "And I know your father would be proud of you for standing with your friend."

Leo smiled a little with a nod before walking back to his brothers and their friend.

As he went back, Oogway didn't have to look behind him to know the presence behind him.

"Your sons are strong, my friend." He said. "I have no doubt that they will fulfill their destiny."

"I should hope so. My sons have been through so much, and yet they still have so many challenges ahead of them."

Oogway chuckled. "Indeed they do. They do not even know what they are truly capable of. But… with the panda, I believe they will find their true potential."

"That is why I am trusting you and your student with their safety, my friend."

"In time, they will become stronger than they ever have before, Yoshi." Oogway said reassuringly. "I can promise you that."

Splinter nodded before he faded away, returning to the Spirit Realm.

In case any of you are wondering how Oogway knows Splinter, all will be explained in later stuff.