WARNING: The following contains major spoilers for Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles #122, on sale now from IDW.
Following a vicious attack during what should have been a day of celebration, the citizens of Mutant Town have finally risen up to take down the Mutanimals once and for all. Ridding their community of the Mutanimals' influence hasn't been easy, and now the newly liberated town is facing a new set of problems. It would seem only natural to turn to the Splinter Clan for help, but for once that couldn't be farther from the case. In Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles #122 (by Kevin Eastman, Tom Waltz, Sophie Campbell, Jodi Nishijima, Ronda Pattison, Bobby Curnow, and Shawn Lee), the community turns to the heroes for help only to be turned away by the Splinter Clan.
Now that the Mutanimals are no longer a threat to Mutant Town, the Turtles and their allies can get to work redistributing their stockpiles of food and medicine, as well as repurposing their headquarters into a new city hall. As monumental as these tasks might be, they are just the beginning of a new era for Mutant Town, one that will take even more work than what the heroes have taken on already. While passing supplies out to the citizens of Mutant Town, Jennika and Donatello turn their attention to Leonardo's uncharacteristic brooding during what should be a happy occasion. It isn't that his mood has been soured by anything happening now, but rather by the knowledge that he and the rest of the Turtles can't do anything more going forward, at least not in an official capacity.
In the latest issue, the steadfast leader of the clan declares that the Splinter Clan cannot act as any sort of authority over the people of Mutant Town. While they have always acted as protectors against the likes of mad deities and alien invaders, the Turtles have never made it their job to do so.
Even now, when the Splinter Clan is actively teaching others how to defend themselves, they have done so without any sort of official authority. Leonardo actually seems to be almost terrified by the idea of the Turtles being placed in a position of authority. In his eyes, becoming a police or paramilitary force in Mutant Town is the opposite of the original mission imbued upon them by Master Splinter. Leonardo is very familiar with the damage that can be done when groups like the Mutanimals and Foot Clan seize power, so eschewing it entirely is the only course of action that makes sense to him.
On top of everything else, Jennika points out that the other Turtles are still too young to take on that degree of official responsibility, humorously providing yet another reason for the Splinter Clan to steer clear of taking on a position of authority.
All things considered, it is probably for the best that the Turtles heed the concerns of their leader and stay away from a position that endows them with political power. After all, the Splinter Clan has never had need of an official designation of power in order to do good, and certainly didn't need such a title to liberate Mutant Town in the first place.