Disclaimer: I don't own the animes or the characters I write about but I do own this story idea. If I did own Wolf's Rain then it wouldn't have had such a crappy and sad ending!

Chapter 1

It was a tradition in the Leaf Village for strong ninja to have a partner that had the ability of an animal of the ability to transform into an animal. The partner had to be similar in strength or capabilities to the ninja and able to protect them as well as fight well alongside against an enemy.

Sasuke Uchiha, wielder of the sharingan and of the legendary Uchiha Clan, was partnered with the powerful Kyuubi host, Naruto Uzumaki. Hinata Hyuuga of the powerful Hyuuga Clan and user of the Byakugan, was partnered with Akamaru and her friend Shino Aburamai was partnered with Kiba Inuzuka, Akamaru's best friend. Neji Hyuuga of the talented Hyuuga Clan and user of the Byakugan, was partnered with Blue, a wolf from Kiba's pack. Ino Yamanaka, a powerful medic, was paired with Hige, a wolf from Kiba's pack. Shikamaru Nara, famous for his shadow ninjutsu, was paired with Tsume, a wolf from Kiba's pack. Rock Lee, excelling in taijutsu and known for being able to open the gates within his body like his teacher, was paired with Toboe, a wolf from Kiba's pack. The incredibly strong and skilled medic, Sakura Haruno was partnered with Kakashi Hatake, able to copy any jutsu, user of the sharingan, leader of the ninja hounds, and known as the White Fang of the Leaf Village. The Hokage, Lady Tsunade, slug queen and legendary Sannin, her partner was Darcia, a wolf that was once an enemy of Kiba's pack but was offered a chance at redemption. He was to be executed but he was offered a deal to protect Lady Tsunade, become her partner, and if he failed to guard her properly or anything happened to her on his watch, he would be killed on the spot.

Kakashi had been Sakura Haruno's teacher before she graduated the academy and became what she is today, a kunoichi with monstrous strength, intelligence that allows her to outwit most of her opponents, and medical skills better than any other person alive, ninja or civilian. When Sakura was noticed by the council and others for her exceptional skills, she was given Kakashi as a partner. Though you would have expected that they would have been an easily accepted pair, things didn't go smoothly in the beginning. Kakashi had walked up to Sakura after she finished a shift at the hospital and was going to a café for her lunch break. At first Sakura was simply surprised by his appearance and smiled kindly at him, pleased to see an old friend of hers.

She asked why he was there and if he needed something. Kakashi started rubbing the back of his neck with a fingerless gloved palm and laughed a laugh that sounded slightly nervous, that's when Sakura began getting suspicious. ''Kakashi?" She had asked him in a low, warning tone. He sighed as his hands dropped to his sides but his visible eye still avoided looking at her. He stuttered as he tried to find the right words to say, making Sakura get impatient, placing her hands on her hips, her jaw placed at a slight angel, her eyes slightly narrowed as she watched him, and her breathing pattern was deepening as she tried to keep her temper in check. ''W-well, it would turn out that I-I'm you-u're new par-partner.'' When Sakura first heard the words coming from Kakashi's masked mouth, she thought it was a joke. She began laughing but as she saw Kakashi didn't begin laughing along with her, just standing there, she realized that he was being serious. Her jaw clenched and a vein in her temple was pulsing visibly, showing that she was none too pleased with his words. ''Kakashi this better be a joke for your sake!" Kakashi looked visibly scared of the green tea eyed kunoichi standing before him. ''N-now Sakura... It was not my choice-''

One moment Kakashi was trying to calm her down and the next he was up in the air, soaring above Konoha, looking down at the shocked faces and people still unaware of the thoroughly pissed off female amongst them. Kakashi had landed but his upper body was stuck in the ground like the head of an ostrich. His legs were twitching, giving evidence to the villagers slowly surrounding him that there was still brainwave activity. Everyone's heads turned from the twitching man stuck in the ground to the dust cloud that was coming towards them. It blew through as what caused it stopped dead in its tracks. When the dust cleared a pissed off cherry blossom could be seen pulling the scarecrow from the ground and shaking him viciously. ''Do the ELDERS really think I need a fucking chaperone?!" Chakra was slowly beginning to swirl around Sakura as she snarled and cursed out the 'idiots' that decided that she was too weak to defend herself. Kakashi was knocked out cold with a wide eyed look of fear stuck on his pale, masked face. The villagers watching the scene sweat dropped and felt pity for the silver haired jounin being tossed around like a rag doll, but they were all too afraid of the enraged and fiery emerald eyed girl and for their own lives to do anything or help Kakashi. They brought their hands together and prayed for his spirit to be sent to a nice place after it left the soon to be, if not already broken and ragged body.

Lady Tsunade had heard the commotion and sighed, half knowing and half praying it was her past apprentice and not enemy ninja attacking the village. She rushed to the site of the soon to be next Great Ninja War with Shizune in tow holding Tsunade's pet pig Tonton. When she got there she stopped Sakura from continuing to brutalize her former sensei and there began a long argument. During the argument Shizune put down Tonton and started the arduous task of healing Kakashi, thinking of how badly Sakura had wounded him and would have kept at it had it not been for Lady Tsunade. Once Kakashi woke up he saw Sakura standing next to him with her arms crossed and a scowl on her face. She had ultimately lost the argument with Lady Tsunade and was not happy about the loss or her new position with a partner. She saw having a partner as a sign of weakness, like everyone thought that she couldn't take care of herself and needed a partner to help her out or she was being watched over like a baby and wasn't trusted. Either way it all irked her. Her green eyes seemed to blaze with anger as she looked down at him before they closed and she sighed. She turned her back to him but looked back at him from the corner of her right eye. ''Come on Kakashi, it seems that we're partners.'' He got up slowly because of the pain stabbing through his entire body and followed her. After that it took Sakura a while to warm up to Kakashi again but once she did they were extremely close and were the best partners.