AN: So I have an excuse... I took a break XD I mean, I update three times a day, so... be glad .

Thanks to: fedwvu- I know!

Legend: "Talking" 'Thinking' Dreaming/Flashback

Disclaimer: ABSOLUTELY... No, I don't

Chapter Fourteen~

Everything was strangely different... Minori felt a love and peace for her now new Uchiha family. She had a 'daughter', and she had a 'husband'... although it wasn't official, it felt nice to be holding hands and having a child call you 'mother', something that nearly every woman would want to hear.

The feeling, however, was not everlasting, and she knew that. It wasn't that she wasn't Kazuko's real mother, or Sasuke's real wife, like she thought... but something was pricking her in the back of her mind, warning her of danger. There was also this feeling... this nagging voice in the back of her head saying that there was someone watching them... and that voice, that nagging voice, was a hundred percent right.

A kunai struck at the ground, very near Minori, causing her to jump and immediately reach for the four year old girl next to her. She then realized that it was lodged in the spot where Sasuke was standing, not too long ago. Whoever threw it, was aiming for the older of the two Uchihas.

"Cowards," Sasuke said, stoic and cool. "Surprise attacks won't work on me. You'll have to fight me face to face." His sharingan was activated and twisted around, throwing out hand signs so fast that Minori could not tell he even did any if it wasn't for her keen eyesight. The Uchiha held a hand to his mouth, cupped around his lips, and blew out, summoning large flames. A simple technique, all too easy for him to use. Maybe he thought ever so little of his opponents, deeming them weak and useless.

Suddenly, jumping out to surround them were masked nins. "Are they hunter nins?" Minori asked.

"No, these are ANBU," he replied. "An elite group of shinobis." His hands started glowing a bright light and all of the sudden, Minori heard the sound of a thousand birds. "Chidori!" Yelled the older Uchiha. Lightning flew all around him and though Minori sheltered the four year old girl, there was really no need. The lightning had never hit her.

'He can aim that damn thing?' She thought. Suddenly, when the 'Chidori', as it was called, stopped, she felt herself being pushed. A rain of senbons were showering around her, and she reflected them all with a kunai from her pouch, including those headed for Sasuke.

"The girl's in league with him!" One of the ANBU stated.

"Take the child and leave!" Turning around, eyes wide, Minori felt her motherly instincts flare. No one, touches Kazuko. With that thought in mind, she hurried to chase after the shinobi with the four year old girl in her arms.

"Mommy!" She yelled. "Help!" Faster, she ran, and she flipped some hand signs, summoning a long water whip.

"Suitun: Suiben (Water style: Water Whip) !" She called. She swung her hand at the ANBU, capturing the shinobi's right arm with the whip. Standing firmly on the roof top and holding her ground, she yanked the man so that he fell backwards at her feet, and he made a swipe at her, missing.

A senbon struck him in the neck while he was still down, paralyzing him. A kunai to the heart killed him, and Minori made a grab for the girl. Holding the weeping child in her arms, she turned to check on Sasuke. All his opponents were down too. Suddenly another masked ANBU appeared, and he or she (She couldn't tell because of the medium hair and cloak covering his/her body) looked around in surprise.

"U-Uchiha Sasuke!" The ANBU stammered. Definitely man. The four year old's father looked over at the shinobi, which she finally took a good look at and realized was from the leaf. The leaf shinobi then turned to face the woman, and immediately ran for her, taking her arm and dragging her away.

"Wait!" Minori screamed. The ANBU now carried her on his back and Kazuko in his arms.

"Don't worry ma'am, you'll be safe, he said." Where was he coming from? Did he not hear that man yell that she was in a league with Sasuke? Oh wait... he came in late. If it was a different situation, she would've sweat dropped. When Sasuke finds her, this guy was so dead for, stealing away his wife and child. The sixteen year old gave a sigh which the ANBU took as a sigh of relief. Damn, what was she getting into?

SKIPPING THE TRAVEL

They saw a gateway in sight, not far from where the Konoha nin had carried them, and Minori and Kazuko were both taken by surprise. That thing was huge. It was like nothing ever seen before, really.

"So, where you from?" The ANBU asked in good humor. Maybe a little too good for someone who just saw his teammates dead and had barely escaped from an S-ranked criminal, but Minori ignored it, as he was trying to be friendly.

"Kusagakure," she said. Kazuko remained quiet.

"Ah, Village Hidden in the Grass, eh?" Minori nodded, not giving the man any opening for a continuation of the conversation, but he went on anyways. "so what was it like there?" This sent Minori into a great panic, but only for a second.

"How should I put this...?" She started. "Mm... grassy." A sweat drop came from the leaf nin's head. She giggled then went on, describing what she think Kusa was like through her reading in her textbooks. "Kusa is... a very plain like area. The houses all lie low, unlike here. Days were clear and it was pretty much just a countryside." She shrugged. It seemed that the nin bought the lie that she spit from her mouth almost immediately.

"Interesting..." he said. Minori took a guess that he's been there and was testing her. An ANBU thing, she guessed. She remembered reading from the same book that described Kusa that ANBU were top secret nins that were specifically hand picked by the Kages or just the leaders of a village. Their identities are kept secret by a mask that covered their face.

"We're here!" He said, suddenly coming to a stop. "Home sweet home, KONOHAGAKURE!" His voice was booming, and two guards at the front laughed.

"I knew it was him, you can tell just by listening to him speak!" The one with the band-aid over his nose said, grinning like a goof. The other with with a cloth covering his chin frowned.

"I could have sworn it was Hisoka..." he muttered, then reached into his pockets to pull out a couple bucks, handing it to the other guy. Minori raised a brow. She was told by her father that ninjas were highly trained and skills, never to take things lightly... and yet, here were a few, taking bets and risking money, which was considered valuable in her family for obvious reasons, and and ANBU talking friendly with a stranger. It was nice and comforting, but a little strange...

"Look, mommy!" Kazuko said, pointing to the large mountain with faces carved on them. Her father spoke of this mountain when he came back from his travels in Konoha about five years ago when Minori was eleven. He said they were the face of the Hokages, or the leaders in the village. "They're so big!" The three shinobis from the Leaf grinned.

"Yup, our pride and joy, the five faces of the Hokages!" the one with the bandaged nose said. "Welcome, to Konohagakure! Enjoy your stay!"