TMNT aren't mine.

Continuing the idea of strange chi powers from Virus. After the turtles help Karai take control of the Foot, it's like, bam, all the dissenting Foot have vanished and they all mindlessly obey her orders all the episodes onwards. I imagine the actual power ascension wasn't very smooth and very bloody. Seppuku...meh, though it's a samurai thing, it'll conveniently apply to ninjas in this case as well

"Mistress Karai," the ninja bowed respectively to her, no trace of the fear he had to be feeling as he delivered his report, "The shipment last night was disrupted by the-"

"Turtles," she interrupted coldly. To the man's credit, he did not flinch, merely fell silent and awaited his punishment. "I take it then, the business last night was a complete failure?"

"Yes Mistress Karai," there was nothing in his voice, a true ninja then, one whose loyalty to the clan was steadfast and unwavering, who would accept her judgement without a word of protest.

She could not afford to lose a man like this.

Her fists tightened, barely, almost unnoticeable. So many operations that he had been overseeing lately had failed, disrupted by the turtles. This was simply his last failure too many, a disappointment from a man she once had high hopes for.

A man who she would have to lose as a lesson to the clan.

She did not have to look around to realize every ninja in this room waited with bated breath. Waited to see if she was strong enough to lead them, strong enough to claim her position as the Shredder's successor.

There were too many dissenting voices in the clan, they'd spoken quietly at first, so quiet she never would have noticed.

The slightest hint of movement on her left, Hayato Katashi, her second in command. If it weren't for him, she never would have noticed how much of her authority had been undermined before it was too late.

Katashi has very quietly taken care of the voices, as she could not act without splitting the clan apart. Some of them suffered fatal accidents, some disappeared, never to be heard of again, others had been arrested on charges that the clan's lawyers were yet to wriggle out.

But why was he here? Her second in command had been granted a large amount of leeway and very rarely did he involve himself in disciplinary matters.

"There is only one punishment for failure," Karai spoke calmly. "In the name of the Foot clan, you are to commit seppuku to regain your lost honour."

The ninja bowed and accepted her judgement wordlessly. With a wave of her hand, the ninjas gathered around were dismissed; two of the Elite followed the disgraced ninja to ensure that his honour was properly restored.

The room emptied until she was alone.

With Hayato Katashi.

Without a word, they retreated into her inner chambers, where they were certain they could not be overheard.

She approached a window, gazed contemplatively over the city for a while. "Why did you do that?" she asked at last.

"Do what?" Katashi's voice was a low rumble.

"He was a loyal ninja. I trained him myself; one of the best the clan has to offer."

Her second in command remained silent. "The agreement between us was for you to help secure my place. Not undermine it by killing off one of the few men who still firmly follow me."

A snort, had Katashi been any other member of the clan, he'd have been executed for his impudence.

"I do believe you're the one who passed judgement there, Karai," there was no trace of respect in the ninja's voice and the leader of the Foot clan fought to keep from gnashing her teeth in frustration.

She turned and levelled an ice glare at him till he shrugged reluctantly. "Fine, I did set him up, screwing up all those missions. But for your information, he was the head of the dissidents. Congratulations, you are now dissenter-free, leader of the Foot clan at last."

Karai pursed her lips tightly, unable to look at his smirking face. "I see," she said. "Very well, you have my thanks."

It was an impressive effort that she didn't choke or stumble on her words, though they burned like acid as they passed her lips. She wanted to add, "You're dismissed," but she knew that was over-pushing the boundaries of their arrangement.

Hayato Katashi, the true ruler of the Foot Clan laughed outright at her, smug bastard as he was. "That doesn't look like gratitude," he taunted.

He abruptly was up on his feet, ready to leave without a further word. "Wait," she said, determined to find the answer to a question she'd been harbouring since this insanity had started. "I don't understand."

"What's there to understand?" his voice was cold now, their business had been concluded and she was overstepping her place.

"Why didn't you just kill me?" she asked, unable to hide her bitterness. "Take my place as you took Hayato Katashi's place. Rule the Foot clan directly, instead of through a puppet."

She remembered when he'd approached her, they had fought, fierce, furiously, she'd battled him with the intent to kill, sought his death with all her skill. And how numb she felt when he stopped holding back and broke through her defense with ease and held steel to her throat. Her life was forfeit that moment forth, but he'd refused to collect, instead he'd sent her back in disgrace, a pawn he could crush at a moment's notice.

He laughed at her then. He laughed at her words now. The bastard laughed at her. "As if I'd want to spend the rest of my existence playing you, Karai."

And then he was gone, she was alone in her chambers, clutching at the shattered illusions of her place as leader of the Foot clan.

Hayato Katashi walked calmly into a dark alleyway, the sort the Purple Dragons had once liked to frequent, until a small group of mutants had made them too dangerous for criminals of any kind.

He stepped into the shadow, allowing darkness to cloak his body, vanishing like any ninja of his calibre was capable of.

A ripple went through his shape; it twisted and bent until the illusion faded into another form entirely.

The incredible stupid question Karai had asked flashed through his mind.

Chuckling darkly, Raphael Hamato slid open the nearby manhole and vanished into the sewer.

He'd murdered men and women to see the truce maintained between the clans. He'd bought peace with their blood.

But even he had limits to what he'd do for his family.

...hence explains the reason Raph dreams of himself as the Shredder in NT episode "Darkness Within."