The Mutant Ninja Turtles

Donatello's Biography

By B.C.

Shadow Snake

            The moonlight flooded through the paper walls of the secluded dojo in the alleys of New York. Hidden by tall buildings and skyscrapers its existence was unknown to the hundreds of people that strolled by each night. The blue light seemed to have given the room an eerie glow as it poured down from behind the memorial plaque of the honorable Splinter sensei or the man once known as Hamato Yoshi. Amidst the incense smoke a lone figure sits with his legs crossed in meditation and prayer for his lost master. One year, four months, and six days, thought the figure as he took a long deep breath.

            "Far too long." He whispered to himself. "Tonight the wait ends." He said as he clenched his fist. He then growled the words "I swear it." The figure rose to his feet and headed to the weapons cabinet opposite of the plaque. With the moonlight and the memorial of his lost sensei behind him, he picked up his master's katana; a strong ancient blade to which he had named hukushu no ha (Blade of Revenge) and began the sword movements that his master had taught him for years. He is Leonardo, and tonight he believes he will avenge his master.

            In a room just below the dojo in the sewers a young man by the name of Donatello typed on his computer. His stomach squirms with the thought of the battle that will take place tonight. He realized that there is a high chance that these few moments will be his last and that he may never see the sun again. Donatello looked to his right and saw Raphael and Michelangelo sparing in front of the TV. They were preparing. Donatello has been preparing as well, but now he realizes something else. If he dies, no one will know. No one will know anything that has happened in the last twenty years. April, Casey, and Ms. Hibiki won't tell a soul. Donatello decided to take this time to write a brief but accurate biography, so that whoever finds it can spread the memory. What follows were his words.

            My name is Hamato Donatello. 20 years ago in the spring my three brothers and I were born in captive. We were born box shell turtles, and were sold as pets. For reasons unknown to us we were released into the wild just a few miles outside New York, New York. Somehow we survived and managed to stick together all the way to the sewers of New York City, where we were discovered by a man whose name was Hamato Yoshi.

            Hamato Yoshi was a Japanese man who had spent the later part of his life working for the Japanese government. He was something of a spy, although, not the James Bond type. He was a ninja and a samurai. His missions were covert, and to be done in stealth. He was also somewhat of an investigator and he would often go on assignments to discover information and even the location of individuals whom the Japanese government wanted for various reasons.

            It was not his job to ask questions. Although, his assignments were not exclusively limited to Japan, for he had been on missions that took him to Italy, Russia, China, and even America. Master Yoshi had been all over the globe, and he was an intelligent and worldly man.

            Our master had lived in Japan with his wife Tang Shen who was three months pregnant with his child. They were very much in love and Hamato sensei was hoping to retire when he was forty, so he could focus on his family and his martial arts training. It was the Hamatosan's dream to open a martial arts school that they could leave their son or daughter to carry on. Master Yoshi was well known all throughout Japan for his skills as a martial artist, and at that time, the late seventies, Master Yoshi was often referred to as Nihon'go no Bruce Lee which meant the Japanese Bruce Lee. His skill is what made him so valuable to the Japanese government and why the government showered him with wealth.

            While in Japan he was assigned to locate a mole in the Japanese government who was giving information to a new and powerful organized crime syndicate that was rivaling with the Yakuza (the most power mafia in Japan). This new shadow organization was called Ashi or the Foot. Master Yoshi was given a partner by the name of Oroku Nagi, who was also well known for his fighting ability and his skills as a spy. Master Yoshi and Nagi became good friends and worked together to try to discover the location of the Foot's headquarters and the identity of the Foot's leader who had become known as the Shredder.

            One night while ease dropping on police frequencies they herd a call for a robbery in progress. Nagi decided that they should investigate for the Foot was known for stealing, and Master Yoshi agreed. When they arrived they found and fought with a disciple of the Foot. He eventually escaped, but they pursued him. They chased him all the way to the docks and followed him inside an old sushi auctioning warehouse. Once inside they were immediately ambushed by a dozen Foot soldiers. Master Yoshi fought fiercely and defeated all his foes with his fathers katana ka'ge no ha or shadow blade. He then noticed Nagi had stood still the whole battle and had watched. It was then that he realized that he was surrounded by hundreds of Foot soldiers.

            Then from behind Nagi came a man dressed in blades with a helmet and a cape who called himself the Shredder. This Shredder was the leader of the Foot and Yoshi now knew that Nagi was the leak.

            "So what do you think?" Nagi asked. "A very impressive army ready to kill at our command."

            "Why, why would you do this?" Master Yoshi asked. "You have power, respect, and honor in your life. Why choose this one."

            "This is power, and this is respect." Nagi paused for a moment as if to reflect. "As for honor, we have our own honor here."

            "Baka (idiot)! The government will discover you. It will only be a matter of time before they realize that the mole is you!"

            "Not if they discover that the mole is you."

            "Nani (what)?"

            "I have planted plenty of evidence at your home and at your office. I have even transferred funds to your accounts to thoroughly frame you as the mole. Why do you think I became so close to you? I learned your house, your codes, and your routines. My ninjas planted it all fairly easily, and they have done well. By morning tomorrow I will be rewarded for discovering and killing the mole, while your wife and child are servants at my feet".

            "You bastard! You leave my wife alone!"

            "That angers you does it? Good."

            "They will still find you out eventually."

            "I am very sure they will, that is, if I don't die first. I do not wish to work for the government my whole life. Eventually I will grow bored of it and fake my own death. Then the Foot will be free to move to a different country."

            "Move the Foot clan. Why?" Now Shredder stepped forward and began to speak.  His voice was unsettling to Yoshi, for it was unusually deep; almost demonic.

            "The Yakuza have no honor, and we cannot afford to keep warring with them. We will travel to a more liberal country where we can more efficiently prosper. Then we will come back and finish the Yakuza! Now kill him Nagi. It is time we left."

            Nagi smiled and unsheathed his sword. Yoshi readied himself for what he expected to be difficult battle of skill.

            "You will fight me one on one? I am surprised." Master Yoshi said in a cool voice.

            "I wouldn't dream of letting anyone else have the pleasure of killing you." Nagi lunged at Master Yoshi with his sword. Master Yoshi, full of anger and betrayal, guided his sword with the grace of the gods, and in only three moves decapitated Nagi. The warehouse fell silent.

            Our master Yoshi was great indeed, thought Donatello as he leaned back in his chair and stretched his arms. He remembered listening to Splinter tell this story. It was his favorite. He leaned forward and began typing again.

            Shredder froze. He was dumbstruck by what had just happened. But within moments he came to, and gave Yoshi a stare of fury.

            "You dare kill my brother! I will have your head!" Shredder shouted as he attacked our master Yoshi, and the warehouse became full of the shouting of hundreds of Foot soldiers; screaming and cheering on their master. The armor and blades attached to Shredder made it difficult for master Yoshi to cut through, and he wasn't landing many blows. They had only been fighting for a few minutes when the main hanger door opened up and the Yakuza opened fire.

            Men wearing black suits armed with machine guns and hand pistols fired at anything that moved. Bullets and throwing stars went flying in every direction, yet master Yoshi and Saki still battled on as though oblivious to the chaos around them. Then finally Shredder was struck in the face by a bullet, and blood shot far across the room. While holding his face, he retreated from the battle and fled the warehouse. Master Yoshi watched him leave and was about to leave as well for he could hear the sirens in the background getting closer. He knew he needed to get home before someone found the planted evidence, but as he headed for the back of the warehouse he was struck in the chest by a bullet and he spun like a top until he landed hard on the floor. When he got to his feet he could see he was pouring blood and within a matter of moments he lost his vision and passed out.

            To be continued.

Author's Notes:

            This is a darker version of the TNMT. I feel it is a more realistic version as well. As I'm sure you can tell it has its roots in the original comics as well the 80's cartoon. However, I haven't read very many of the original comics nor do I remember many of the cartoon episodes, so everything I put in these stories are my own ideas. If they for some reason seem similar to something that has already been done, I am deeply sorry, for I was not aware. I would like to finish the story, however, only if there is a demand for it. I'm not going to keep publishing something that no one likes, so if you read this please review whether what you have to say is good or bad. Thank you again for reading it.