As always: TMNT belongs to Nickelodeon and Mirage Studios and Naruto belongs to Masashi Kishimoto. Please support the official release.
NMNT Season 3 Chapter 6: Hunted
-The Lair, Splinter's Room-
Leatherhead and Splinter were currently sitting in a kneeling position as the rat brought out two Japanese style tea cups and a Japanese style tea pot. Splinter first poured Leatherhead a cup, and then the crocodile poured a cup for Splinter.
"I cannot tell you what welcome relief it is to amongst friends," said Leatherhead, "Master Splinter, your hospitality knows no bounds."
"You are welcome to live here with us Leatherhead," Splinter replied with a smile, "as long as you wish."
Just then the doors slid open and Leonardo popped in.
"Hey Leatherhead, could you help me practice my sparring?" he asked.
Then Donatello popped in next to Leo and asked, "Hey LH, could you help me out with this hydro-compressor I'm working on?"
Next, Raphael popped in and said, "Croc-man, wrestle re-match: no holds bar."
Michelangelo popped in and said, "Hey big guy, the new issue of Justice Force vs Team Solaris is out; I'll let you read it."
Naruto then popped in and asked, "Hey Letherhead, you want to marathon all original six Star Wars movies with me?"
All five brothers stood at Splinter's door with a smile on each of their faces, waiting for the crocodile's response.
Splinter then said, "As you can see, we all enjoy your company. Perhaps a little too much."
Leatherhead sighed in gratitude before accidentally smashing his tea cup.
"Master Splinter, I did not mean-," he started to say as he started to pick up the pieces before his tail smashed the tea pot.
"Oh please forgive me," he said with shame present in his voice.
Raph then walked over, elbowed the crocodile lightly and jokingly said, "Heh, heh, just like a giant croc in a china shop."
Leatherhead growled as his eyes changed from pupils to slits. "That is not funny," he growled in a threatening tone, "I did not mean to break it!" And he stood up and shoved Raph angrily.
Raph, as he was caught off guard, said in a surrendering tone, "Whoa; Leatherhead, I was just jokin'."
"Everything is not a joke!" Leatherhead shouted, "I am not a joke, I AM NOT A JOKE! RRRAAAAARRRRGHHHHHH!"
But rather than pummeling Raph, Leatherhead decided to smash his way out of Splinter's room through his paper doors.
"Uh, is it me or did Leatherhead overreact just a bit?" Don asked.
"Come on," said Naruto as he walked out of Splinter's room with his other four brothers following, "we better see what we can do."
In the lair, the five brothers saw the crocodile sitting in the entertainment center. He had apparently called down and was busily repairing the broken tea cup. The five then approached him in a non-threatening manner but still kept their distance.
Raph then walked right up to him from behind and said, "Uh, L.H., I'm sorry big guy I didn't mean to-."
"No friend," Leatherhead interrupted, "I am sorry. My temper has become so much worse. I did not want to tell you this, though you may have already inferred it when you freed me from Agent Bishop's laboratory. I believe the hellish tortures I suffered from him while he experimented on me may have brought it out."
"It's okay, I understand," Raph replied with a smile as he patted the croc on the shoulder, "Y'know, some guys think I have a little problem keeping my cool."
"Damn right ya do Raph," Mikey remarked, "but man, Leatherhead was like a rage-a-holic."
Leo then smacked Mikey upside his head, making the orange-masked turtle exclaim, "Ow!"
"I seem to have no control over it," Leatherhead continued, "it seems what Bishop did to me has separated a part of my mind. My animal side grows stronger, I am sorry." Just then the crocodilian finished putting the tea cup back together.
He sighed dejectedly. "I do not know what to do," he said.
"It's going to be okay Leatherhead," said Leo as he approached his friend and put a hand on his shoulder.
"You're amongst friends, we'll work through it," said Naruto.
"Everything will be just fine," said Don.
"Except for that tea pot," Mikey remarked jokingly. His brothers were not amused as they all hit him lightly on his head.
-The Sewers-
At the site of a fairly big foot print, three rats were busy eating some food. They scurried when they heard footsteps and a whirring noise echoing towards their location. As the sounds came closer, one lone sewer light two things making those noises: a robot and a mustached-man, who was carrying a modified M-16(that held two different chambers and a grenade launcher) and wore hiking boots, rugged-looking trousers, a rugged-looking shirt and vest, and and Australian Outback-style sun hat.
"Well, well, well," said the man (in a stereotypical Australian Outback accent), "Crocodylus Porosus. Seems we've come to the right place." He then inspected the foot print and took out a clipping from a newspaper article. It read: "Giant Croc Roams New York Sewers-Exclusive!". His robot then bleeped and booped.
"Yes Amelia, looks like you can believe what ya read in the papers," the man replied, "Now, what say we gear up Betsy here for the game eh, heh, heh, heh." His robot then handed him a cartridge full of tranquilizers, a cartridge full of M-16 machine-gun bullets and a grenade for the grenade launcher.
"We're gonna bag us a Croc," said the man.
-The Lair-
In the entertainment center, Splinter was busy kneeling and watching the news. His eyes then widened in shock at the next segment the station presented; there on the screen was Oroku Saki.
"And in a ceremony today," said the newscaster, "the mayor of New York gave the key to the city to our newest hero. Entrepreneur and inventor, Oroku Saki has pledged his time and unlimited funds to help rebuild our fair city."
Live footage of the mayor handing said key to Oroku Saki was then shown. After handing the key over, Oroku Saki then shook hands with the mayor.
"With friends like Oroku Saki, New York City will be back in full glory in no time at all," said the newscaster.
"Shredder," Splinter growled.
Later that evening, everyone had fallen into a deep sleep. Naruto, Mikey, Leo, Raph, Don, and Splinter all were sleeping well and comfortable. The only one having trouble was Leatherhead, who was ominously tossing and turning on his make-shift bed in the entertainment center.
-Leatherhead's Nightmare-
Leatherhead awoke with a jerk. He found himself in an evil looking version of the lair, with demon-like voices evilly shouting his name.
"What?! Who's there?!" he shouted.
"Leatherhead!"
"You're a monster!"
"You're a goddamn monster!"
"Leatherhead, you're a killer!"
The voices echoed over and over.
"What the hell is happening?!" Leatherhead shouted. Just then, something behind him laughed. He turned around and saw a more menacing Bishop (complete with red eyes,sharp teeth, and blood splattered on his clothes) holding a gun and a bone saw in each hand.
Then he heard laughter to his right. He turned and saw more menacing versions of Baxter Stockman and the Shredder.
Then he turned his he turned his head to the left and saw demonic-looking versions of the four turtles themselves. They took out their weapons and laughed evilly, their forked tongues sticking out.
But in front of him was where he saw the most horrific sight. From what appeared to be the depths of hell, a fire place rose. The hole beneath it then shut, but the flames inside still burned a fiery-orange red. From those flames, a creature began to appear. First the enormous front paws formed and started to walk out. Then its body and hind legs formed while it sat with the rear part down and sitting while its front paws stood tall and at the ready. Then nine tails formed from the creature's rear, where they proceeded to swish and swirl in an evilly elegant manner. Finally the head took the form of a fox, with long ears and red eyes.
(Break time: it's sorta hard to describe this sitting position. Just imagine your cat or dog sitting patiently at your feet; that is how the Nine-Tailed Fox is sitting right now).
Overall, this nine-tailed fox was ungodly giant, standing five stories tall (or roughly fifty feet).
When this fox spoke, its voice was like Naruto's except a more demon-like distortion.
"You're more like us than you realize Leatherhead," said Naruto as he laughed evilly. The others then started to close in on the crocodile.
"No! Stay back!" Leatherhead cried out. But Bishop managed to shoot him, which gave Stockman the opportunity to grab his arms and pin them behind his back. The Shredder then swiped his clawed-glove twice at the croc's abdomen, making him bleed a little.
Leatherhead then growled and the pupils in his eyes became slits as he let his animal instincts take over. He then threw Stockman into the Shredder and Bishop. Then he went toe to toe against Naruto, who had started to slam his paw down hoping to hit the crocodile. He succeeded in knocking Leatherhead towards a wall on the other side of the lair.
Leatherhead growled as he shook his head side to side while narrowly avoiding an attack from Don. The turtle swung his Bo Staff in several directions before Leatherhead grabbed his weapon and tossed him aside. Leo then came in from above and swung his Katanas. Leatherhead managed to get his hands on both swords and snap them in half with his bare hands. Next, Raph tried a sneak attack from behind; this however proved to be useless as Leatherhead reached behind himself and threw him into Leo and Don. Mikey then leap in and started to swing his Nun-Chucks.
"Wake up Leatherhead, you're having a nightmare," he chuckled evilly.
-The Lair-
Leatherhead awoke with a jerk, but his animal instinct was still in control. As he sat up quickly, he saw Mikey standing over him.
"Leatherhead, wake up!" he cried.
Leatherhead, however, viciously grabbed the turtle by his arm and pinned him violently up against a stone support beam.
"Leatherhead, wait!" Mikey protested. But the croc didn't listen as he roared, lifted Mikey over his head and prepared to throw him down hard.
"It's me, Mikey!"
Leatherhead then threw the turtle to the ground, making it crack from the force of the impact. The crocodile then roared, but at that moment his slits became pupils once again as he became in control over his actions. Sensing that something wasn't right, he looked to the ground and saw what he had done.
"What in God's name have I done?" he gasped as he held Mikey's limp body in his arms, "I've-I've-I've killed Michelangelo."
Just then Splinter and the other four brothers came down to see what all the commotion was about. Their eyes widened at the sight before them.
"Mikey!" the brothers cried.
"Michelangelo," Splinter cried.
"Leatherhead, what happened?" Naruto asked.
Leatherhead muttered, "I'm a monster... a horrible monster." He then set Mikey's body down and started to slowly back away. "Get back, all of you!" he exclaimed, "Stay away from me! I'm not safe! NOT SAFE!" He then ran down through the main entrance tunnel and shouted, "I'M A GODDAMN MONSTER!"
Raph then kneeled over his brother, held him in his arms and said, "Mikey...c'mon, bro. No... please, Mikey, say somethin'!"
"I guess I'm lucky you didn't give me mouth to mouth," Mikey groaned.
Raph growled in annoyance. "He's fine," he said as he dropped his brother and stood up quickly.
"Ow!" Mikey exclaimed.
"Will someone please tell me what happened?!" Splinter asked.
Mikey stood up and rubbed his head as he explained, "Well...Leatherhead was having some kinda nightmare... and then he totally wigged out! Where is he?! I gotta see if he's okay!"
"He disappeared into the sewers!" said Leo.
"I think he thinks you're dead," said Naruto.
"Aw man. Poor Leatherhead," said Mikey.
"We've got to find him and let him know you're okay," said Don.
"Yes," said Splinter, "but be careful. There are parts of his nature he can no longer control. He may see you as brothers... or as enemies."
-The Sewers-
Leatherhead lumbered about, guilt ridden and fearful. He held his head down as he muttered, "My friends take me in, and this is how I repay them. I'm a savage, a horrible monster who knows only how to kill and cause others pain while enjoying every only home left for me to go to is hell itself."
Meanwhile, not far behind, the Australian hunter and his robot were following Leatherhead's footsteps.
"My god," he said, "ladies, this ain't no ordinary giant croc. This beauty is walkin' on two legs. This is gonna be our greatest trophy ever. Amelia, deploy sentries."
The robot complied as it reached inside itself and threw a small blinking red device to the walls of the sewer where it proceeded to stick itself on the walls.
"We'd better watch our back, wouldn't want that nasty-arse croc sneakin' up behind us."
The man then pressed a couple of buttons on his wrist computer and set the sensors for a silent alarm.
"Ladies, let the hunt begin."
Meanwhile, not far behind the hunter, the five brothers were also investigating Leatherhead's foot prints.
"They're definitely Letherhead's foot prints," said Naruto as he inspected the ground, "But he's not alone, take a look at this." And he pointed out the hunter's set of foot prints and the wheel trail left by the robot.
"It looks like he's bein' followed," said Raph.
"Who would be down here?" Leo asked.
"I don't like this," said Don.
"Then we'd better stick to the shadows," said Naruto.
"We can do that with no problem," said Mikey, "we're ninja remember?" And they all leapt from shadow to shadow. Unfortunately, they were spotted by the motion sensors who then proceeded to track them as they passed through.
-With the Hunter-
An alarm went off on the Hunter's wrist computer. He looked down and saw thermal images of the five ninja brothers.
"What the hell? Seems like there's five more creature prowlin' around the sewers. This is turnin' out to be the hunt of a lifetime! Amelia, Betsy, let's check it out." And the man and robot turned around and went into a side entrance short-cut that would take him back to the sensors. Soon he came upon the brothers' foot prints.
"Goddamn, these certainly aren't croc tracks. They're like nothin' I've ever seen before. Baggin' this many little creatures require a little somethin' extra. Amelia, what do we have that will do the job without spillin' too much blood? I personally want to display their heads on a wall."
The robot then opened up a compartment and the man started to dig around until he pulled out a land mine.
"Hmm, this'll do the trick," he chuckled darkly.
-With the brothers-
The five continued to follow the trail of footsteps.
"Leatherhead's foot prints are gettin' faint, but whoever's followin' him is easy to track," said Mikey.
They then entered a part of the sewers that was filled with six inches of slow moving water.
"Maybe a bit too easy," said Naruto; he then stretched out his right arm,'stopping everyone in their tracks.
"What is it Naruto?" Raph asked.
"Something isn't right," Naruto replied, "Mikey, can you lie on your stomach?"
"Sure thing," Mikey replied as he did so.
Naruto then bit his right thumb down until it drew blood. He then executed key hand signs before putting his right hand down as he called out, "Summoning Jutsu!" With a puff of smoke, a green toad with white hair styled in somewhat of a mohawk, very thick eyebrows and a small goatee wearing a high collared cape appeared before the group.
"Naruto-boy, how you doin' and why am I standin' on the back of this here turtle?" asked the toad both happily and inquisitively.
Naruto chuckled as he replied, "Hey Pa, I'm just fine; but I didn't summon you here so we could train and catch-up, I need to ask you a favor."
"Anything from my number one disciple," answered the toad, now known as Pa (but his real name is Fukasaku).
"Could you hop across this stretch of water and check to see if there is anything suspicious?" Naruto asked as he pointed in the direction Pa needed to go.
"Sure thing Naruto-boy, be right back," Pa said as he leapt off Mikey's shell and hopped around in the water for a bit (which also gave Mikey the chance to stand up).
"Uh Naruto, who is dat and what is he doin'?" Raph asked.
"He is Fukasaku, but most of the other toads call him Pa. As for what he's doing, well let's just say I have a feeling that whoever is following Leatherhead knows that we're following both of these tracks."
"Are you saying that whoever this person is could have set a trap for us?" Leo asked.
"Yep," Naruto replied.
"Who would do that?" Don asked.
"I think the real question is, will that frog you sent out set off those traps?" Mikey asked.
"Don't worry Mikey; Pa, who is a toad not a frog, is big enough to detect traps but small enough not to set off anything," Naruto replied as Pa returned. "Did you find anything?" Naruto asked.
"Sure did Naruto-boy; for about two-and-a-half meters up ahead, there's a lot of traps stuck into the ground. If I had to guess, I'd say they'd all explode the moment you set foot on any of them," Pa replied.
"Alright then; thank you for helping me Pa, you can go back home now," Naruto said with a smile.
"See ya soon Naruto-boy," said Pa as he disappeared in a cloud of white smoke.
"Who the hell puts land mines in a sewer?" Raph asked incredulously.
"It seems like whoever's tracking Leatherhead, they're playing for keeps," said Leo.
"So what do we do now?" Don asked.
"Simple," said Naruto as he took out a kunai knife, "we trick whoever laid this into thinking we're dead; but first, let's find some cover."
And they did, from some leftover debris left behind from the invasion. Naruto then readied his aim and threw the kunai knife. It then hit dead center on a mine, causing it and the others laid there to explode.
As the dust cleared, Leo then said, "Now we'll have to find another way to reach Leatherhead and fast."
-With Leatherhead-
Leatherhead was huddled on his knees in a dead end part of the sewers, with his head hung down in shame and tears streaming down his face.
"Michelangelo," he said, "how could I have killed him? It's all too horrible! WHAT THE HELL HAVE I BECOME!" He then started to slam his fists on the wall behind him as he cried out, "I'm a monster, I'M A GODDAMN MONSTER!"
And he sobbed loudly in anguish.
Meanwhile, on a wall leading towards the dead end, the hunter stood with his M-16 at the ready.
As his robot bleeped some more, he said, "Alright ladies, let's bag this beastie." He then set his M-16 to fire bullets and carefully aimed at the crocodile.
Leatherhead heard the noise of a gun being ready to fire and shouted, "Good, whoever you are I'm glad you found me! Monsters such as myself should be hunted down and killed on sight! I would welcome death!"
The hunter then lowered his weapon and (along with his robot) approached the crocodile.
"Did you hear that girls?" he asked, "I'm gonna be famous. We got ourselves a talkin' croc; and once we bag those other five creatures, we're gonna be goddamn celebrities!"
Leatherhead's eyes widened in shock at the mention of the others. He slowly stood up in a menacing manner and growled, "Five other creatures? You dare to hurt my friends?!" His eyes then changed from pupils to slits as he swung his tail and knocked down the hunter. He then grabbed the M-16 and started to bite it in half.
"No, Betsy!" the hunter cried out as he pressed a button on his wrist computer. Suddenly the gun started to shock Leatherhead at a deadly voltage. The croc, through his teeth, screamed in pain. After about fifteen seconds, the shocks subsided and the croc fell as a result of being knocked out by the shocks. The hunter then pried the gun out of Leatherhead's mouth.
"You okay Betsy? Yes, you gave him a shock didn't ya girl," he said as he started to stroke the gun, "yes, that's a good girl." He then looked at the unconscious Leatherhead and said, "So, those freaks are friends of yours eh Mr. Croc? I think we should hang you where your friends are sure to finds you. I think Betsy and me would love to see such a reunion."
-With the brothers-
The five were currently following an alternate path that would presumably lead them straight to Leatherhead. As the rounded a corner, they all stopped in their tracks; in front of them was another trap set by the hunter and it appeared to be a web of lasers. Don then picked up a loose piece of rubble and threw it at the lasers where it was immediately disintegrated by the lasers.
"Goddamn it," said Naruto.
"Just one false move," Don started to say.
"And it's Ninja Flambé," Mikey finished.
"Can't be any worse than those land mines," said Raph.
"Only one way to find out," said Leo as he got a running start and leapt through the web of lasers in a single bound. The other four brothers proceeded to clap lightly in support and appreciation.
"Nicely done," said Mikey.
"Come one," said Leo with a competitive smile on his face. The other four nodded as they took a running start and leapt through the web of lasers in a single bound.
Leo clapped slowly as he smiled and said, "Show-offs."
-With Leatherhead-
The crocodile was bound and dangling from a walkway and over a part of the sewers where the underground water exited via a swirling vortex into the river. Just then the five brothers came in through an entrance that was high above where they could properly observe the situation.
"Leatherhead?" Leo asked in shock.
"What the hell?" Don gasped in shock.
"No use just standing around, we got to get him down from there," said Naruto. His other four turtle brothers nodded as they leapt down onto the walkway situated above the swirling vortex and proceeded to free their friend.
Unbeknownst to them, the hunter was watching them from a high platform; his robot was off to his left.
"Look what the Outback brought in," he said as he carefully aimed his gun, "seems we'll be adding giant turtles and a whiskered man to our trophy room."
Suddenly Naruto threw a Kunai knife (very hard I might add) straight into the hunter's right bicep, making him exclaim, "Motherfucker!"as he squeezed off a round of machine gun fire in a different direction. All five brothers leapt into action as the hunter pulled the stabbing weapon out of his arm and fired M-16 machine gun bullets. But it apparently became clear he was not prepared for how fast these five brothers could be as he kept missing them, with one bullet that was meant for Raph ending up slicing through Leatherhead's rope which dropped him into the vortex. Leo then leapt right up at the hunter and kicked his gun in the direction of the robot as the hunter accidentally shot his robot to pieces.
"Amelia, NO!" he cried.
"We gotta save Leatherhead!" Mikey shouted. And he, Don and Raph leapt in the vortex while Naruto and Leo held off the hunter. The hunter gave a good struggle as the two brothers tried to pry the modified M-16 away from his hands, but alas the hunter was no match when the two grabbed his gun and sent him flying to the walkway where he hit his head and was knocked out immediately.
"You go help the others," Naruto said as he snapped the modified M-16 in half, "I'll take care of this guy right here."
Leo nodded as he leapt into the swirling vortex. There he saw his brothers struggling to make sure that none of them would be sliced up by the giant fan that was draining the water. As Leo grabbed hold of Leatherhead, Don then had an idea. He then let go of the crocodile, grabbed his Bo staff and stuck it in-between the fan blades (slowly but surely as his weapon was slightly chipped by the blades) effectively stopping the fan. As soon as Leatherhead was brought to the surface, Don pulled out his weapon and swam to the surface as fast as he could. He then joined his brothers, who were in the process of freeing the croc from his bindings. Leatherhead coughed a bit as he opened his eyes.
"Leatherhead," Mikey started to ask, "you okay?"
"Michelangelo, is it really you?" Leatherhead asked in a trembling voice, "you're-you're-you're alive!"
"Of course I'm alive, why wouldn't I be?" Mikey replied cheekily.
"We've handled far worse," said Raph as he and Mikey help Letherhead to his feet.
"You must be careful," Leatherhead started to warn, "There is a hunter and he's-."
"We know," Naruto interrupted, "we took care of him already." And they all climbed up to the walkway where they found the hunter tied by his hands (which were behind his back) and feet, struggling to be free of them.
"See, there's no way he'll get us now," said Naruto.
"That's where you're wrong mate," said the hunter as he worked his fingers towards a button on his wrist computer, "I've always had a saying in my life: 'Sometimes you get the hunt, sometimes the hunt gets you.' But under these circumstances, I've found a way to give myself both endins'."
And he pressed a red button on his wrist computer, which called out, "Self-destruct sequence initiated."
The hunter laughed loudly and manically as he shouted, "Now I'll go down as the man who managed to kill six fantastic creatures!"
Leatherhead had other ideas as he growled, grabbed the man and headed for the vortex.
"Leatherhead, NO!" Don cried as they all heard a splash followed by a torrent of water coming up from an underwater explosion.
"I can't believe it," Leo said, "Leatherhead died to save us."
"That would be an incorrect assumption Leonardo," said Leatherhead's voice. The brothers' eyes widened as they saw the crocodile climb up onto the walkway with a small smile. "I think that makes us even," he said.
-The sewers-
The group of six walked back to the lair.
"Let's go home guys," said Leo.
"No, I cannot" said Leatherhead as they all stopped walking, "I simply will not risk staying with you; my temper, my anger, what if I can't control it? What if I had really killed Michelangelo?"
"We'll help you," Narto replied, "you'll learn how to control it and how to live with it."
"You can do it," said Raph, "Look at Mikey, he's learned how to live with that face of his."
Leatherhead smiled sadly as he said, "I want to stay with you, but I cannot risk it."
"You know," said Don, "I think I have a solution."
-Sometime later-
The group were still in the sewers as they came upon a set of iron bars leading to an open entrance.
"Leatherhead, if you would do the honors," Don requested. The croc then ripped the bars away from the entrance.
"Follow me,"'said Don as he lead the others right into another lair-like room, with the sole exception being that it appeared to be like an abandoned subway station, with elegant stairs and a crystal chandelier. Everyone's eyes widened in amazed wonder.
"Donny, where are we?" Naruto asked in amazement.
"In an abandoned station from the 19th century," Don explained, "I found it on some archived blue-prints I hacked off city hall computers."
"It's beautiful," said Leatherhead.
"Here you'll be three minutes away from the lair," said Don.
"Looks like it'll give you space to work things out," said Raph.
"I don't know how to thank you," said Leatherhead.
"You don't have to thanks us Leatherhead," said Don.
"We're just one big happy family," said Mikey.
"Yes," Leatherhead smiled as he tears formed in his eyes before wiping them off, "family."
Happy Halloween everyone (or at least everyone that does celebrate it in their respective country). College life is hard, but at least I'm still up to the task.