Right after the match between Don and that Tenten, the turtles along with their friends rushed to seek the Daimyo. A healer was also summoned in the process to check on Don, since the bruise on his temple had started to turn black. Raph almost kicked the door open to the Daimyo's chamber if it wasn't for his brothers to stop him:

- Master Splinter! Don…

- I know, Raphael – Splinter held up his hand to stop the flood of emotion – We have been observing Donatello's match. It was very disturbing.

- Indeed – His old friend concurred – It was just like the time when Michelangelo had his rematch with Kluh. Dark magic is tampering with the rules of the Battle Nexus.

- Ya really gotta do something about it – Raph grunted – Look! If we can't do anything about it, can we just… quit?

- I'm afraid that is not possible, young one – The ruler of the arena shook his head – unless you are defeated in battle, you cannot forfeit.

- That girl was trying to kill Don – Leo stepped up, still holding Don over his shoulder – And I think those people with her are having the same intention. If by any chance we're up against them again…

- Unfortunately, you will my son – Splinter said – They, along with you are the last contestants in this tournament, if not the only one.

- What? – Mikey gulped.

- I'm afraid so, Michelangelo-san – Usagi turned to him – Most of the other contestants have already moved up to the next round. We are the last ones.

- I really don't mind getting some payback for Don – Raph twirled his sais – but if that girl only can get Don ta work up his mystic power only ta beat her, I don't wanna know about the rest of them.

The healer appeared behind them, interrupted the conversation. He motioned them to lie the purple clad turtle down and began to work his magic. The wound faded slowly and the color came back on the genius's face. Leo turned to the wise rat:

- Sensei. I don't know why, but I have a hunch that these people are out to really kill us.

- I have the same feeling, my son. The way Tenten fought clearly shows her determination to take Donatello's life.

- But why? – Mikey asked – We don't even know them. Did Ammag and his men send them?

- That is what I would like to find out – Splinter rose up to walk over Don, now was fully healed – In the mean time, I want you to reach deep within yourselves, to draw out your inner power, just like Donatello did.

- But master Splinter – the orange clad turtle whined – We don't even have the amulet…

- Which did not stop your brother from doing so, even when he was in the heat of battle. All you need to do, Michelangelo, is to focus. The amulet was merely a tool to amplify your ki. The real strength comes from within. Only with that power would help you stand a chance against them.

- Alright, you heard sensei – Leo clapped his hands to draw their attention – Here's the plan. Whoever comes up next will try to stall them for as long as possible, while the rest sneak in behind their back, try to find out as much as possible about them without revealing yourselves. I'm sorry Usagi-san, but I'm afraid our rematch will have to wait.

- I am more than happy to lend you my aid – The rabbit samurai put a hand over his chest – Our match is trifle compared to this matter.

- I will help as well – Ue spoke up.

- No, Ue-san – Leo shoke his head – This is too dangerous.

- I may not join you in battle, but at least I can still provide you safety from ambush. Our family's elite guards are at your disposal.

Everyone seemed to agree with Leo's plan. They excused themselves to return to the ring, leaving the Daimyo and Splinter alone. From the window, a shadow jumped up to join them. It was a man in green spandex, with green protector vest and orange leg warmer. He asked:

- How are they doing?

- Not to worry, Gai-san – Splinter calmly said – Everything is going according to plan. Although I'm afraid your students might have trouble dealing with mine.

- We'll see about that – He smirked, and vanished in a smoke.

:::

In a small inn, just a moment earlier, Tenten was surrounded by her comrades. They worked their best to fix her wound. But their clumsy hands could do little to help. She hissed:

- That turtle really got me good. I didn't expect him to do that. That's not what we were briefed for the mission.

Her comrades nodded in agreement. One of them, a boy with white garment and long, jet-black hair asked:

- Did you observe anything else up close?

- I'm sorry, Neji, but no. I thought your Byakugan could scan them?

- I did, but they didn't reveal anything. I did sense their ki, but they don't have a chakra system in their bodies.

- And when that turtle glowed, his strength and speed seemed to increase – The last boy said. He looked like a younger version of Gai, with bandage cover from his hands to his elbows – It looks similar to the Inner Gates.

- You can't be more right, my beloved student Rock Lee.

From out of nowhere Gai landed on them. Except for Lee, the other two was a little startled. Tenten asked right away:

- How was your negotiation with the Daimyo?

- He will send us a healer, should we receive anymore injury in our next battle. But his term still holds: no ninjutsu whatsoever during the match. As for the turtles, even if they gain more power, we still have our aces here: Rock Lee and Hyuuga Neji.

Tenten sighed as that. She's a weapon specialist of Konoha. From close, mid to long range weapons, she knows them all like the back of her hands. The only problem was that she stored them in her scroll. To pull them out for using, she had to form hand seals, meaning releasing jutsu, and that's forbidden as the Daimyo's request. It hindered her fighting ability greatly. But that didn't mean she was out of the game. Not yet.

- Well, I'm out anyway – She stood up – So while Neji and Lee deal with them in the ring, I'll do some of the work behind the curtain then.

- Good thinking, Tenten-kun – Gai gave her a thumb-up – You can use ninjutsu outside the ring. But be careful though, combatants are strictly forbidden to fight except for during a match. If the Gyoji finds out…

- I believe she'll be fine, sensei – Lee clamped one fist to the other's palm – We are shinobi of Konoha, we can do this. While Neji and I bring them to submission on stage, she can work her way to flank them from the back. We'll defeat those turtles for the Daimyo without fail.

:::

The turtles and their friends were back to the arena just a moment before the tournament resumed. Raph, Mikey and Leo were all nervous, since they needed time to work on drawing out their mystic power. Don was right behind them, refused to take some rest. How could he when his brothers faced imminent danger? The Gyoji appeared high above the screen, waving his fan to show the next fighters' names:

MYAMOTO USAGI

VS

HAMATO LEONARDO

Both the blue clad turtle and the rabbit were taken aback. Usagi burst out laughing:

- I can't believe this! Even in this situation, fate still shows her side of humor.

- It works to our favor though – Leo nodded – You and I can stall the match for as long as we want, while our brothers can do some digging around about those people.

The samurai and the ninja vanished into the ring. Usagi unsheathed both his katana and took stance:

- As much as I want to help you, my friend, I can barely contain the excitement of finally having a real match with you.

- The feeling is mutual, Usagi. But let's not carry away with it.

- As long as you won't bore me. I am very intrigued in your new power. Will you be so kind to show it to me?

- Gladly, but I think you have to earn it first.

Leo also drew out his weapons, and they clashed.

In the backstage, Raph turned to his brothers:

- OK, so we got some time, better make the best outta it. I'm gonna go check on those punks while you guys work on yer mystic power.

- I don't think you should go alone – Ue stopped him – If they catch you off guard, it will be the end for you. Some of my guards should escort you.

- No offense, kid, but yer soldiers ain't really trained for stealth. This place's big, there's plenty shadow for me ta hide my shell. Don't worry. I'll be right back before ya know it.

- Take this with you – Don tossed him a shell cell – I switched them to walkie-talkie mode before we came here, so we can call each other even when there's no reception. Just don't go too far though, I haven't calibrated the range yet.

Raph waved to him, signaling that he got the message before melting to the shadow. The remaining turtles sat down where they stood, and started concentrating on their inner strength. There would be more distraction than the cheering crowd when they actually needed it, so might as well began right next to the roaring spectators. Raph, in the mean time, had seen his targets on the other side of the ring, and had snuck up to them. He went around to their back, expecting to eavesdrop something useful. His plan busted though, when Tenten dropped on him as he reached the outside wall, stopping the emerald turtle in his track.

- Don't even think about sneaking up on us – The girl glared at him – We try our best to restrain ourselves, but if you're that eager to be defeated, then I'm more than happy to help.

Great! He failed even before he even executed his plan. But wait! They were all there, all four of them, and Raph made sure that they didn't see him vanished, so how could this girl drop on him like that? Did they have eye on their back or something? Raph pulled out his sais, but Tenten already unleashed her scroll to about a dozen of different weapons. Sickle, kunai, club, dagger… she had them all hovering in mid-air like some wicked magic trick. Raph wanted nothing more than to lung at her, but those weapons really made his stomach churn. She didn't even use her full strength on Don, but now she's ready to kick ass, and his would be one of them. Raph quickly delved to his belt and threw some smoke pellets. Tenten's arm shot up before the smoke blinded them both. This would give Raph more or less some advantage. He charged forward to his left in order to flank her, only to receive a club right to his chest. Raph fell to his shell, coughing out some blood. Smoke cleared to reveal the weapon girl, one of her hovering arsenals missing. Tenten smirked:

- Smoke bomb? Very effective, but you need to do better than that to stop a ninja.

What? She's a ninja too? From where? With this kind of power, she would have made Karai cry in tear. One thing for sure though, without his mystic power, she'd slice'n'dice him like a bacon. Raph slowly backed away, focusing his ki. Not easy when he's wounded, and the fact that Tenten gave him no time to breath didn't help. She pointed a kunai to his throat:

- Oh no you don't! I saw what your accomplice did back there. I suggest you to stop if you want to keep your head on.

So much for concentrating. Raph swiftly grabbed the girl's wrist and yanked her to the side, adding a kick to her waist. Tenten evaded it with ease as she used the momentum to flip forward, freeing her hand. Raph also shot up and backed away immediately, gaining distance from her. Obviously he wouldn't stand a chance against her. None of his brother could. What would the others do in cases like this?

- What's the deal with you guys? Why are ya doing this?

- You are targets of our mission. That is all you need to know.

- Mission? What mission? Who sent ya?

Tenten was about to answer when Gai's voice came up from the radio in her ear:

- Tenten! Leave him! Come back to us now! The match between the turtle and the rabbit samurai is about to end. But before that, make sure that turtle won't follow you.

Rolling her scroll up to seal back the weapon, Tenten lightly bowed to the stunning turtle before throwing a bunch of kunais attached with exploding tag at his feet. Raph's got only a hair's breathe to dodge before they detonated, blowing him several feet back. By the time he could see through the dust, the ninja girl was gone.

- Better head back to see how the other guys doing… - Raph clutched a hand over his chest, dragging himself back. He really hoped Don and Mikey could master their power fast, if they ever wanted to survive till the end of this tournament.

Both Raphael and Tenten were oblivious to some shadows not very far from where they just had their illegal fight, observing their every single move.

- Everything is going according to plan – They quietly laughed with each other...