While Shredder was talking to the Kraang, deep underground in the sewers, the Turtles were trash-talking each other!

It was a ninja sparring exercise with everyone partnering up: Master Splinter with April, his kunoichi -in-training; Leo with Donnie; and finally, Raph with Mikey.

Though it certainly wasn’t traditional ninjutsu, talking smack was allowed—a fact that was not lost on Raph, who was trying to taunt Mikey into making the first move. “Whatcha gonna do? Whatcha gonna do?” he scoffed, readying his sais for a surprise attack.

Mikey stepped back, hesitating—and Raph leaped through the air for his trademark nose-dive tackle. It looked to be a direct hit …

… until Mikey seized an opportunity at the last second. Falling backward, he caught Raph with his feet and flipped him over.

It was a ninjutsu stroke of genius. And Mikey knew it!

“Booyakasha! You got faced!” he told Raph. And then he held up his hands, pretending to play an instrument. “Thought you had me, but I played you like a trombone. Waah-waaaaaah!”

Raph didn’t take Mikey’s celebrating lightly. His face twisted into an angry knot before he lunged at Mikey and wrapped him in a bear hug.

“Playtime’s over, tough guy!” Raph said, squeezing harder.

“Put me down!” Mikey pleaded. “Uncle!”

“I don’t see you tapping out,” Raph said.

“Can’t … move … my … arms,” Mikey wheezed.

“Then tap your horrible middle toe.”

Against his will, Mikey wiggled his toe, and Raph put him down.

Mikey looked down at his middle toe apologetically. “Don’t worry, Stubby,” he whispered. “You’re not as horrible as he says.”

“Michelangelo!” Master Splinter called from the back of the dojo. “Why did you give up so easily?”

“There was nothing I could do,” he replied.

“There is always something you can do. Observe.”

Splinter approached Raphael, saying “Kannuki jime,” Japanese for “Attack me from behind.”

A nervous look crossed Raph’s face. Whenever their wise sensei began a demonstration with that phrase, it usually meant pain was soon to follow. April and the other Turtles gathered around to watch.

With a gulp, Raph wrapped his arms around Master Splinter and lifted him off the floor.

“The key is to unbalance your opponent,” Master Splinter instructed.

“But how?” Mikey asked.

“However you can. For example—”

At that exact moment, their sensei did the unthinkable: he licked Raph on the head! Instantly grossed out, Raph dropped him—which Master Splinter used as an opportunity to smack Raph to the floor with a swift flick of his rat tail.

“You see?” he asked the group. “There is always a way.” He took a brief pause, then spat, clearly disgusted by the aftertaste on his tongue.

“And you need to take a bath,” he added, pointing at Raphael.