Back at the Turtles’ dojo, Splinter attempted to meditate, but it was no use—his soul was restless. Memories of his argument with April kept breaking his concentration.

The last words she’d spoken to him echoed in his mind: “The Turtles are out there risking their lives. Don’t you think they could use your help?”

Ashamed of his own inaction, Splinter dug even deeper, trying to focus instead on the silence. But after a few moments, more of April’s words came flooding back: “Well, some of us can’t just sit around and do nothing.”

Just then, Splinter’s heightened ninja senses recognized a change in the room. There was an intruder in his dojo. With a slight flick of his wrist, Splinter grabbed his cane and rolled effortlessly into a striking stance, swinging his weapon inches away from—

April’s father, Kirby.

The hypnotic trance Kirby was under was so powerful, he had no idea how close he’d come to getting hit in the face! All he could do was continue mindlessly staring down the end of the cane at Splinter.

“Where is April?” Splinter asked.

“Master Shredder wanted you to have this message,” Kirby recited.

A horrified look of confusion came over Splinter’s face. “Master . . . Shredder?!”

As he struggled to understand Kirby’s words, Splinter heard another disturbing sound: the pitter-patter of dozens of little robotic feet. The Mousers emerged from behind Kirby, flashing their steel fangs.

They delivered the message, projecting a flurry of lights that flashed and then morphed into the shape of a mysterious stranger. It was a hologram of Splinter’s worst nightmare . . . SHREDDER.

“So, Hamato Yoshi, you thought you could hide from me forever,” the hologram said. “But now I have April O’Neil, and if you value her life, you will come and face me like a man. And we will finish what we started all those years ago.”

And with that, the hologram dissolved into the shadows.

Hamato Yoshi. In a different lifetime, it had been the name of a man who lost everything to Shredder. A man who had fled his native Japan in search of a new life. A man who had lost his humanity one fateful day when a mysterious canister of ooze mutated him into a giant rat. Hamato Yoshi was the true name of Master Splinter.

Remembering all the pain Shredder had caused him, Splinter closed his eyes in misery. When he opened them again, he looked determined, and ready for a fight.