--This chapter is labeled 19.b mainly because it has only slight correlation with the story and is sorta just a filler. The story is just one day after chapter 19 and is about Sara and them at Kakashi's house with the kids. It holds some pertinence to the story, and it is recommended that you read it, but it may be unnecessary. Please enjoy!--

__Sara Pov__

Well, it turns out that the kids actually had started training with jutsu. Also, like predicted, without Shika, Choji, and Naruto there I would have been a tad overwhelmed. Naruto wasn't a huge help though...

We split the kids into four groups of two, eventually though Hibiko left Konohamaru and Naruto to their pervy battle and came to my group. The basic idea is us four genin watched the kids henge no jutsu and gave them tips and pointers.

Daiki, Hibiko, Udon, and Naoko had a little trouble with chakra control, but the pointers we gave them seemed to help them improve. Soon all the kids were exhausted from their chakra use, and they went home with their parents who came to pick them up. I talked with all their parents for a while and they thanked my for helping their kids study. I in turn told them it was no problem, and that I actually enjoyed teaching the kids, and that was, in fact, the honest to goodness truth.

After putting Ayaka, Junichi, and Daiki to bed I went to hang out with my friends.

"You know Sara, you really are pretty awesome with kids," Naruto commented.

"Yeah, it's like you're their mom or sister," Choji added.

I sighed when they said that. "Why does everyone think that I'm like a mom? I don't see myself that way at all."

Shika looked at me like I was nuts. "You know Sara, even though you know others personalities really well, you still have no clue as to what yours is." The other two boys nodded in agreement.

I sat up quickly, "That is so not true! I know my own personality well enough! I just don't think that I'm the motherly type."

They all looked at me like I was insane. "You? You are the most motherly person I know, short of any actual mothers." Choji commented.

"Yeah! You have eight kids with you! You are super motherly, believe it!" Do I even have to tell you who said that?

By now my blush was a bright pink from the compliments they threw at me. I turned my head before responding in a mumble, "You guys are all insane..."

"Oh? Sara, could it be that now you're embarrassed?" Shika caught on to my discomfort and used it to needle me a little.

"Shut up you pineapple."

"Sara! Are you blushing!?" Naruto asked loudly. I saw a flutter in Kakashi's window, and I knew he was watching and listening to us now.

"NO! Shut up Spikes! You too pineapple!" I ordered almost frantically, luckily they didn't notice the tone.

"You know Sara, I really do think you are blushing..." Choji added in.

"Choji! I thought you were on my side for a minute there!" I complained.

They all seemed to stop and stare at me, then they went and made a huddle. What in the world is that all about? Eventually they turned to face me though, with way too innocent expressions.

"Hey, Sara... do you want my rice ball?" Choji offered. Now this would have been completely fine in normal circumstances with normal people, but this fit neither of the criteria. This was Choji and the last rice ball, something was seriously off.

"Um... Thank you for the offer Captain Underpants, but I'd rather not thanks." I answered hesitantly.

He didn't respond to the nickname, this was getting way too weird now.

"Hey, Sara! You haven't eaten any of your rice balls, believe it!" He had just a little too much innocence in his exclamation.

"I, um, I'm not hungry?" My stomach betrayed me however by growling. It just had to pick the perfect time, didn't it?

"Well Sara, it seems your stomach disagrees." Shika commented from the side. The circled me and each held out a rice ball as I backed up. Unfortunately that ran me straight into the 6 foot tall fence surrounding the yard.

"Uh, look, guys, I can, uh, eat when you're gone?" I put in weakly, with it sounding like a question. I could now see Kakashi clearly in his window still just watching us. I shot him a glare, even though I knew he couldn't very well help out in this situation.

"But Sara, I worry that you don't eat enough!" Naruto said with what sounded like concern, but I knew it was fake.

"Yeah Sara, it would be a drag if you died." Shika put in.

"You eat way too little Sara, it isn't even a tenth of what I eat." voiced Choji.

They all held out a rice ball then and it was right in front of my face. I was actually kinda hungry, helping the kids wore me out. The smell of the polished rice in my face, with the fragrance of the bits of fish I put in the center was wearing me down. The shiny surface of the rice was inviting me to just take one bite... but then those three would see my face, I had to resist!

I looked to the three boys watching me with intense expressions, they would be watching if I took a bite. I turned my gaze upward to see Kakashi with the same glint in his eye. There was no way to get out of this... unless...

With their gazes locked on my masked face none of them saw me make the handsigns for the kage bunshin no jutsu. My clone appeared in the tree to my left, out of sight. I then quickly did a kawarimi no jutsu with my clone and was then hiding in the tree. I didn't stick around though, I ran off and ended up in front of a tea shop.

Halfway through the escape, my clone disappeared and the memories hit me. She had almost taken off the mask! That was the reason she had vanished, she had reached toward her mask, but instead pulled her eyelid down and poofed into nonexistence.

I went into the tea shop and bought some dango. I then went to a random roof of a building and ate said dango. I had just finished and pulled up my mask when Shika landed on the roof behind me.

"Seems like you just missed the show, I've already eaten."

"I can see that, it wasn't really my idea to see your face in the first place, but once Naruto mentioned it, I was a little curious." He replied back.

"Well, I'll get you all back for that later. Come sit with me and we can talk." I patted the space beside me and when he sat I continued. "I still can't believe that you did something out of pure curiosity."

"Yeah, it was such a drag, you troublesome woman."

"Hey, I'm not the one who followed though with the plan." I teased. "You did have a choice in the matter after all."

It was silent for a while and we just sat looking at the stars, it was getting late. The moon was nonexistent tonight and so the stars shone brightly, winking at us and going on with everything, regardless of what happened down here.

"So, I heard about the whole team deal." Shika said to break the silence.

I  glanced in his direction. "I thought all the jonin agreed not to say anything yet."

"They did, but when I saw Asuma with a sucker in his mouth, instead of a cigarette, I knew something was up. I bugged him into a shogi match, and when he lost he told me the story."

"So he actually ate the suckers I stuck in his pocket? Maybe he will stop smoking..."

"Probably not, during the shogi match he lit a cigarette up." He chuckled a little at my crestfallen face. "So, what's up with the whole team deal anyways? He only told me what you were doing, not why."

I sighed. "I guess I'll have to explain it sometime, but don't tell a soul!" When he nodded agreement I went on. "It's mainly for the chunin exams. Teams of three are the only ones who can take them, so I need to make my own team. There's more than that though, if I do become chunin I will have to be a squad leader and lead a mission on my own. I need experience with people to be able to do that, and when you consider different types of personalities the best way is to try out other teams. That's pretty much the only reasons I want to do this."

He considered this before he responded. "That isn't a bad idea, but really only someone from your team can do it since you have four on your team. You really do think things through and figure out the best solution."

"So do you, care to play the question game?" I changed the subject.

"Yeah, let's just do it verbally for now." He agreed.

We spent a half hour just passing questions back and forth, eventually that just turned into us asking random questions, like what's your favorite animal? or do you think we'll ever reach the stars? The time passed and we just had fun talking about pretty much nothing. Naruto and Choji had given up the search and returned home long ago after they had seen me and Shika talking.

Eventually me and Shika parted, but he turned to me and asked one final question. "Sara, who is the most important person to you?"

I didn't even think about it before answering, "Everyone in Konoha." He looked a little sad about that answer, so I went on, "But, I suppose that I have a special spot for Ayaka, Daiki, Junichi, and all of those kids, also my teammates..." He looked a little more crestfallen as I went on with the list. "The Hokage, and Kakashi." I paused for a second and he opened his mouth to say something, but before he could I finished. "I suppose though, I also have a pretty special spot for you pineapple."

He looked a little shocked, but before he could say anything I jumped of towards Kakashi's house. "See ya later Shika."

Tonight sure was fun.