Hello readers!

I was looking through some GaaSaku (my latest obsession) fics about Sakura turning into a cat, Gaara ending up having to take care of her, yadda yadda, etc., etc. But when I looked for the same kind of story where she turns into a dog/wolf instead, I didn't find anything that I hadn't read before.

Since I couldn't find anything and I know I'm not the only person in the world trying to find the same kind of story, I've decided that I'm going to try my hand at it and hopefully give you readers just what you're looking for!

I make no promises of fluffy, lovey-dovey type scenes. While I enjoy stories that focus on the romantic relationship of my favorite pairings, I can't bring myself to write it. At least, not yet. I really creep myself out sometimes when I squeal about that kind of stuff, so yeah, I'm gonna have to pass for now. But hopefully I'll buck up and try it later on. I mean, come on, my personality leans more towards tomboy, but I'm still a hopeless romantic.

But I do promise to do my best to keep the characters in... well, character!

To Hikari Ookami's creator: I know you don't like this pairing. You've told me a thousand times that Gaara-kun belongs to Hikari, but I've been itching to write a GaaSaku story. You can read this one if you like, but I don't recommend it if the pairing really bothers you. :/

"Talking."
'Thinking.'
"Animals talking."
'Animals thinking.'

Constructive criticism is appreciated, as it will help me improve my writing abilities.

No flames please. The back button right next to your address bar is there for a reason.

To those of you who took the time to read this: Thank you!

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto! Seriously, if I did, why would I be writing this story instead of making an episode out of it? But I DO own my Alter Ego, this story and Urumi! The other four Alter Egos belong to my friends.

_

The Pros and Cons of Being a Wolf

Chapter 1: A Good Day Gone Bad

It was a beautiful day in Konoha. The sun was shining, children were laughing, and a gentle breeze was blowing. To sum it all up, the day was perfect. Well, that's what Sakura Haruno thought as she made her way to the training field. Little did she know that for her, it wouldn't stay that way.

The pink-haired Kunoichi leaned against a tree trunk with a sigh as she looked at how bright all the colors of her surroundings were. Life had perked up a lot in the past year. However, all of the villages are on edge because Sasuke and the Akatsuki haven't been heard of in months. Tsunade has sent team after team to try and find something on their whereabouts, but every attempt thus far has failed. Hopefully the odds will turn in their favor soon.

A week ago, Tsunade received a message from Koyuki Kazahana, the Daimyo of Snow Country, saying that she was sending some Ninja from Yukigakure to join in the search.

Flashback

Sakura and Tsunade sighed as Team Guy left the Hokage's Office. They had just returned from a week long mission trying to find out where the Akatsuki and Sasuke were hiding, but came back with nothing. Tsunade was about to tell Sakura to go ahead and go home when Shizune entered the room.

"Lady Tsunade, I have a message for you from the Daimyo of Snow Country," she said as she gave the scroll to Tsunade.

Tsunade took the scroll and removed the seal so she could read its contents.

Hokage-sama,

It has come to my attention that things have been quiet as of late, and that you have been searching for the Akatsuki and the Uchiha without any luck. It is for this reason that I am sending five Yukigakure Ninja to help. I am certain that their skills will prove useful in your search. However, I must warn you. They can be quite... rambunctious. They should arrive in the next week.

I will do what I can to help you from here. If I find anything that could be useful, you will be the first to know.

Koyuki Kazahana.

Tsunade smiled. This would definitely expand their search. She felt relieved knowing that the odds of finding their enemies had improved, if only slightly. The more people they have looking, the more likely they are to find something. "Lady Tsunade, what is it?" Sakura asked when she saw the look on her Shishou's face.

"Snow Country is going to help us track down our enemies," Tsunade replied.

"That's great! We need all the help we can get!" Shizune exclaimed. Tsunade nodded in agreement.

End Flashback

'They should be here any day now,' Sakura thought as she stared at the sky. Suddenly, she heard people yelling, but she couldn't make out the words because the trees and distance muffled the voices. As if on cue, a loud "AAAAAAAH!" echoed through the trees. Sakura looked up as an orange and blonde blob flew into the air, flailing its limbs like crazy. It flew across the sky and landed with a thud a few feet away from her, stirring up a dust cloud. She stood up and walked over to the blob she called a team mate and looked down at him with a glare. Upon seeing her, Naruto jumped up and cowered behind her. "Naruto!" She hissed as he clung to her as if his life depended on it. "What did you do this time!?"

Naruto peered over her left shoulder as he spoke. "I was greeting the Yukigakure ninja when-!" He was cut off when another scream reached their ears. They looked up to see a black and red blob soar into the air flailing its limbs as Naruto had done before. When it hit the ground, it skidded until its back hit one of the trees. After the dust cleared, they discovered that the blob was in fact a shinobi. He had fiery red hair and wore a black headband. They were unable to tell the color of his eyes because they were currently completely white and wide like saucers.

Upon seeing her and Naruto, the man jumped up and cowered behind her as well. "What the-!? Who are you!? And why are hiding behind me!?" Sakura yelled as another pair of eyes peered over her right shoulder.

"TAKESHI!" Naruto flinched as the yell erupted from somewhere nearby, and the other man shakily pointed straight ahead. Sakura looked in the direction he pointed, and saw a fuming Kunoichi with long white hair and icy blue eyes stomping towards them. A black wolf with white markings calmly walked behind her. Soon the Kunoichi stood right in front of them.

"Uh, hello." Sakura sweatdropped.

The Kunoichi smiled at her. "Hello! Please excuse us for a moment!" She beamed at Sakura, then went back to fuming. She grabbed the redhead's shoulder and ripped him off of her. Naruto and Sakura watched as she grabbed the front of the redhead's shirt and began to shake him violently as the wolf watched.

"JUST WHAT DID YOU THINK YOU WERE DOING!?" she yelled and stopped shaking him so he could reply.

"He said no one could beat him at using that jutsu before you punched him, so I had to prove him wrong!" the man whimpered as rivers flowed from his eyes. Unfortunately for him, the Kunoichi threw him to the ground and began stomping on him.

"YOU IDIOT! Your gave your brother a nosebleed and now he's passed out in the middle of the road and the girls can't wake him up!" she yelled.

It didn't take long for Sakura to figure out what Jutsu they were talking about. "NARUTO! YOU USED THAT JUTSU AGAIN!?" Sakura had turned around to face Naruto, who went pale. She then proceeded to pummel him.

'Why me?' both Naruto and Takeshi wondered as the women pounced upon them like lionesses upon their prey. Oh yes, life wasn't being too kind to them at the moment.

And there you have it! I know most of you are wondering where Gaara is, but don't worry, he'll come in soon! I can't tell you when, but he'll pop up somewhere. ;D I hope I at least did a half way decent job with Sakura's character since she was the only character I really used. Anyway, I hope you've enjoyed this first chapter!

Please review!

See ya next time!