A͙/N͙: I͙'m͙m͙a͙ s͙a͙y͙ t͙h͙a͙t͙ I͙ c͙a͙n͙'t͙ k͙e͙e͙p͙ g͙o͙i͙n͙g͙ b͙a͙c͙k͙ a͙n͙d͙ f͙o͙r͙t͙h͙ w͙i͙t͙h͙ J͙e͙n͙n͙i͙f͙e͙r͙ t͙o͙ D͙a͙r͙k͙ N͙i͙n͙j͙a͙, i͙t͙ j͙u͙s͙t͙ b͙o͙t͙h͙e͙r͙s͙ m͙e͙ s͙o͙, I͙'m͙ g͙o͙n͙n͙a͙ s͙a͙y͙ 'J͙e͙n͙n͙i͙f͙e͙r͙' a͙s͙ y͙o͙u͙ a͙l͙l͙ k͙n͙o͙w͙ t͙h͙a͙t͙ s͙h͙e͙ i͙s͙ t͙h͙e͙ D͙a͙r͙k͙ N͙i͙n͙j͙a͙. A͙N͙Y͙W͙A͙Y͙S͙, L͙E͙T͙S͙ B͙A͙C͙K͙ T͙O͙ T͙H͙I͙S͙! 

Author's POV: At the old warehouse...

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Since her encounter with her old sensei two nights ago, Jennifer/Dark Ninja couldn't stop replaying his words until a news report caught her attention: a black man in metallic armor was attacking his former colleagues and workplace. This led her to her next target on her "TO-Kill List": Dr. Baxter Stockman, a self-proclaimed villain using fear and technology for his gain.

Frustrated, she decided he would be her target for the night. However, he was also being pursued by Leo and his brothers, 'According to the news, Dr. Baxter Stockman is a civilian obsessed with heroism, only to become a villain. But why does every target I choose always lead me to Leo?' 

Jennifer silently groans at the thought while she hides in the shadows as she continues using her binoculars to spy on the Turtle Ninjas scouting from the rooftops and clicks a special button that allows her to hear their conversation: "Are you sure this is gonna work?" 

Donnie starts to question and Leo nods in response, "As Sensei said. 'Don't fight the armor. Fight the guy inside.' " He tells his nerdy brother: "And one thing we know about bad guys, is they love chasing Mikey." The advice that the anti-heroine heard from Leo left a mark on her, she softly watched him from afar while knowing full well that it was true. 

You can't fight the armor. 

You have to expose the weakness and lure them out of their shell.

Over the years, Jennifer had seen too many times—how a villain, consumed by their confidence and ego, believed they were in the right. Usually, that was her self-thinking but how can she dismiss the quiet strength of those around her, assuming they were mere pawns in a game she had long since mastered? 

But tonight felt different. 

She continues watching the brothers through her binoculars while studying their every angle; Mostly Leo, since Jennifer was trying to stop herself only to feel disgusted at herself for acting like a creepy stalker, and yet... she cannot help but seem interested in the blue turtle-clad ninja.

But snapped back to reality when his blue eyes met her binoculars and she immediately hid behind a wall, and before she could leave, Jennifer heard this, "Guys! Stockmanpod's got missiles!" She goes back to watching Mikey jump on the telephone wires with his nunchucks and manages to dodge the missiles. 

Stockman-Pod appeared and the Turtles wrapped him up with chains, "Now, who's trembling in terror?" He gets ahold of him by the face and throws him away towards the building, which makes all the brothers yell in unison in shock at Mikey's defeat, "Mikey!" For some reason, Jennifer felt herself snap and run into the battlefield as she secretly jumped from rooftop to rooftop.

Meanwhile with the brothers, "That's it."Raph shouted and ran towards the black man, "You're going down!" "Raph!" Leo called out too late as he and Donnie had no choice but to fight Stockman, only to be thrown to the rooftop's edge. Just as they faced doom, Raphael grabbed their arms: "Gotcha!" 

Suddenly, Stockman lifted him off the ground before the three Turtles at the old warehouse. Stockman asked, "Any last words?" "Just one. Bees!" he replied. 

Stockman looked perplexed, and Jennifer echoed his confusion. Unexpectedly, Mikey shouted, "Beeees!" He snatched a giant beehive, jumped onto Stockman's armor, and thrust it into his face, provoking a swarm of stings. 

Jennifer, who was about to join the chaos, stopped midway and raised an eyebrow in astonishment; Realizing their plan to capture the target had unfolded most unexpectedly, "The T-Pod!" Leo, still yelling, Stockman tried to shoo the bees away. 

The turtles managed to knock him down and the robot deactivated. Jennifer watches him jump down from the rooftop only to pull out the T-Pod and Stockman, covered with bee stings, emerges from the robot: 

"S-So we'll call it a tie?" he stammered with an uneasy look. Leo turned to Raph, disregarding the doctor, and asked, "Wanna call it a tie, Raph?" Raphael cracked his knuckles and replied, "Not yet." 

And sure enough, Jennifer couldn't help but snort behind her mask as she watched Stockman being tied and thrown into the dumpster; With the Turtles smugly smiling at his misfortune, giving everyone a satisfying look: "Now it's a tie." They cheered and high-three at each other before walking away in the empty streets of New York, and if Jennifer were to be honest, she was clearly impressed. 

She shook it off, stood up, and prepared to leave, but suddenly slipped off the roof and landed on Mikey's shell. "Oof!/Ow!" he groaned. At that moment, Jennifer got defensive as she didn't give him a chance to talk only to draw out her swords, grabbed the back of his shell to lift him up, and pointed her twin katanas across his neck. 

The brothers got defensive, except for Leo.

"Okay, lady! Let go of Mikey or I'll pound you into smithereens?!" Raph threatens in anger at her with his Sais pointing at her, only for Jennifer to reluctantly push Mikey away from her before he could speak. As he stumbled back onto his feet, looking disoriented but unharmed, Jennifer felt the intensity of the other brothers' stares. 

Raphael's intense green eyes blazed with palpable anger as he glared while Donnie, on the other hand, wore a look of confusion and concern, his brow furrowed as he tried to comprehend the complex emotions at play. Leo was the only one who remained composed, his demeanor calm and collected as he assessed the situation with a steely gaze that revealed no hint of his inner thoughts. 

It had been quite some time since he had stopped meeting her at the billboard, and as a result, he found it increasingly challenging to communicate with someone who seemed to be harboring a grudge over the way their secret visits had ended. The unresolved tension hung in the air, making their interactions feel even more strained and complicated.

"Easy there," Leo said, raising a hand in a gesture of peace. "No need to be defensive, Dark Ninja. You fell by accident which it's okay." This response caused Raphael, Donatello, and Michelangelo to stare at him in disbelief, "WHAT?!" "You know this chick?!" "First of all, yes I know her. Her name is Dark Ninja." Leo begins, "She's an Anti-heroine that protects victims by...um.." 

"By killing my targets who do dirty work without any remorse." Jennifer finishes with her grip on the katanas tightened instinctively, but for some reason, Leo's calmness grounded her. 

She knew she had a soft spot for him but didn't want to admit it, "I'm not here for a fight," she said, sheathing her swords slightly into her back but keeping herself poised for anything unexpected, "You're in my way." Mikey glanced over at his brothers, then back at her. "Why would you kill bad guys?" 

He pointed towards the dumpster where Dr. Baxter Stockman had passed out inside the trash, "He wasn't exactly winning 'best villain' awards tonight." Jennifer responded with an eye roll but didn't drop her guard. "Plus, he's on my 'TO-KILL' list."

" 'TO-KILL' list?" Raph scoffs in disbelief, "What do you mean, your list? The last time I checked, this was our city!" 

She paused to choose her words wisely around the hot-tempered turtle, remembering the earlier tension. "Raphael, right?" Jennifer chuckled darkly. "I'm not here to steal your glory or deliver some sentimental speech about owning the streets of New York."

 "Lady, your business should include minding it better," He spat, stepping closer. "We don't need another loose cannon running around messing things up." "As if I would listen to a hot, self-centered, egotistical, brat who couldn't even stop his mouth from exploding more bullshit than it already is." Her words made Raph feel so infuriated that he dashes toward Jennifer when she quickly dodges to the side, using her agility to avoid his reckless charge. 

Raph's rate carries him forward, and he narrowly misses crashing into a nearby wall. As he regains his balance and turns back towards her, fury and frustration etched into his expression, Jennifer can see the fire in his eyes, Leo steps in, "Raph, stand down. This isn't helping." 

"Why are you sticking up for her, Leo? She's an assassin! She's clearly dangerous!" Raph retorts, still pissed that he was defeated by a girl. Jennifer, being Dark Ninja turns to Leo, surprised at his defense that she immediately masks it, "You already told her my name. What's next, Leo? Are you going to be my advocate in the assassination game?"

Jennifer sarcastically says, "Sure, Raphael. Go to your brother and scold him like a brat you are right now." "You ****!" The way Raph called her that made her grip on her twin katanas clench tightly around it, feeling pissed as it made Donnie whispered, "Oh no..."

The tension between Raph and Jennifer eased as Mikey nervously raised his hand to speak, hoping to defuse the situation. But Leo interrupted, saying, "Raphael, be quiet, and don't call her that!" Raph complied and grunted in frustration, "Dark Ninja, I'm sorry my brother called you that, but can you please stop the killings?"

"No," she replied firmly. "I do what I must to protect people." She glared at them. "But you can't kill without reason. What if the target has children?" Raph defended, "I investigate my targets to ensure they don't have children, so I won't have innocent blood on my hands!"

Mikey, who had been silent, finally spoke up with disbelief, "But don't you see? Killing people like that is not smart!" "It may be so, but that's how the real world works!" she snapped: "Who's to say they won't go back to villainy once they're free? 

"Some people can't be saved, Michelangelo. Trust me, I've witnessed it." "Maybe some people can—" Leo attempted to interject, but Jennifer cut him off: "I'm not here to debate morals! I'm on a mission, and I don't need your permission or approval."

Jennifer's gaze narrows at him, the tension in the room thickening like a storm cloud that even the weather started to rumble a bit: "You think I want to be here, facing y'all? You think it's easy for me?" she snaps, her voice low but fierce. "But I don't have the luxury of sentiment." 

"You act like you're the only one who understands the danger. We've been in the trenches, we know what it's like!" He gestures animatedly, trying to appeal to her sense of purpose. "Seriously?" Jennifer scoffs, "You believe a heartfelt conversation will change the twisted? Some are beyond redemption, Leo! 

"I must make tough choices before facing the consequences!" But what left her shocked was something the leader (Leo) began to say, "We all have to face tough decisions, but revenge isn't the answer." He slowly walks over, with no fear or the need to feel intimidated by Jennifer's piercing eyes staring directly at him. 

Jennifer stayed silent and listened.

"Sometimes, it feels like the only way to deal with pain is to fight fire with fire," Leo pressed on, his voice steady despite the tension in the air, "But trust me, that path only leads to more suffering. I can tell the past is breaking you apart."

Jennifer crossed her arms, not wanting to show any defiance and vulnerability to them with her eyes, "You don't understand. You haven't walked in my shoes. Nightmares of my past haunt me every night before I sleep," 

"You're right, I can't fully grasp what you've been through," he acknowledged, Leo took a deep breath with his gaze unwavering, "But I do know that holding onto that pain can be like carrying a heavy stone. It only drags you down further."

Jennifer's jaw tightened, anger flickering in her eyes, yet a glimmer of understanding shone through. As he stepped closer, her frustration gave way to empathy. "I may not understand your pain, but I know loss. Trust me, revenge will change nothing."

Silence enveloped them, thick with unexpressed thoughts. Despite the tension, a connection formed, rooted in a shared understanding of their darkness. Jennifer sighed, annoyance evident as she kept her twin katanas. 

Before leaving, she glanced back at Leo:

"...I'm done talking. Sayonara." She jumped to the roof from which she had fallen, showcasing her advanced ninja skill, leaving the turtle ninjas to watch her disappear.