(A/N: Wow! I've received so many followers in such a short time. Thank you so much! Thank you sakuraflowerstar for favoriting this story and Peppei for reviewing. I won't be revealing anything from the plot. You'll find out as the story moves along. This chapter is to show the background of the characters Sakura's conversing with in the first chapter. Understand that I have school soon and I won't be able to make regular updates, but for now enjoy this chapter!)

Sakura walked to her last class of the day.

"Yo Forehead!"

Sakura turned and twitched at Ino. "Sometimes I wonder how we're friends."

Ino grinned. "Don't you remember?"

Sakura scoffed, "Of course I do."

Their mothers were best friends since high school. They did (and still do) everything together. When they married, they chose houses next to each other so they could stay in touch forever. It was funny how their husbands never notcied what was happening. When Ino and Sakura were born, they'd play together whenever one went to the other's house.

Ino laughed. "In a way, it was impossible for us not to be best friends."

Sakura smiled and stepped foot into the classroom. She sat in the first seat she saw at the front row. It was simple logic as to why she sat there: the ones who sat nearest to the door got out the quickest. Sakura had to use this as her advantage if she wanted to meet Tsunade on time.

As the late bell rang, Sakura straightened her posture and waited.

Sakura slammed her locker shut and sprinted out the doors. An orange car awaited at the turn-around area for her. She thew herself in the passenger seat and looked at the driver.

"Get going Naruto," she hissed.

He looked at her and asked, "Why are you so afraid of Granny?"

"I'm not; I like to be punctual. Now, get going."

Naruto revved the engine and put it in drive. Tsunade was not a patient woman; she couldn't be messed with. If they arrived a minute later, she'd post their heads on a plaque with the heading, "Best but Not Punctual." Sakura never wanted to face Tsunade's wrath.

Sakura clutched the handle of the door as the car swerved side to side. Naruto is by far the worst driver I've ever met in my life. The car braked near the curb of the government buiilding. They had exactly one minute to travel to the lowest basement level. Sakura got out and headed into the building. She looked back and saw Naruto stretch.

"Oh my God! Come on baka!" Sakura yelled.

Naruto sighed and followed her inside. The officials looked at the two with weak smiles. They knew how predictable Naruto was and how he always caused a ruckus. The elevator dinged and Sakura dragged Naruto inside by the ear. She quickly pressed a code onto the dial pad. The elevator moved to the right. The elevator was a technically built compartment- it would change directions so it was harder for someone to leave and enter.

As the elevator reached the final descent, Sakura pulled Naruto out to the only pair of double doors in the hallway. Naruto didn't bother knocking, he pushed the doors and smiled. His smile was met with a vase thrown at his head.

"AH Granny! What was that for?"

"You were late!"

Sakura bowed and apologized on his behalf. "What did you want to see us about?"

Tsuande cleared her throat. "We need to discuss the kemono quantities."

"The beasts," Sakura repeated.

"Yes. All of a sudden, there are more coming from the outskirts of Konoha. I need both of you to find out where it's coming from."

Naruto was the first to ask, "That's all?"

Tsunade verified, "That's all."

Sakura's eyes furrowed. That doesn't sound right. Naruto nodded enthusiastically. "Great! When do we start?"

"Tomorrow." Tsunade's fist boomed on her desk. "Dismissed."

Naruto turned his back and opened the door. "Bye Granny!" He shut the door before she could throw another vase at him. Sakura shook her head in laughter and took a good look at her mentor. She remembered the first time she was recruited and how she met the people who were now close to her.

"Run Haruno! You're nearing the finish line!"

Sakura picked up her speed as she jogged through her fourth and final lap. She was the only female in the mile competition. She was light on her feet; her advantage to finishing first. The ones behind her were on their third lap.

"Let's go Forehead! You got this!"

Sakura pushed herself when she saw the finish line tape in the distance. Her lungs began retracting quickly as oxygen was becoming harder to exchange with her exhales. I'm almost there. Sakura pushed her last amount of energy into her calves and sprinted towards the tape. Her body cut through it, ending the candidates for first place.

"Atta' girl!"

Ino ran over and handed her a bottle of water and a small towel. Her coach presented her with a small trophy and raised her arm up high for the school reporter who came rushing to take her picture.

"Haruno, Haruno, Haruno!" the crowd chanted.

Away from all the smiles and cheers, a woman with blonde pigtails appeared from the corner of the bleachers. She simply smiled at Sakura and handed her a business card before leaving.

All of the enthusiasm and excitement slowly wore out. Sakura headed home to the lockers to shower and look presentable. The card was still clutched in her hand when she locked the door to the stall. Tsunade? Isn't she one of the officials of the government? Sakura freshened and decided to head to the address on the card to settle whatever she wanted.

Having Ino take her to the tall building, there was a man in a black suit waiting outside. He stared expectantly at the car and motioned her to go inside. Sakura told Ino to wait outside before heading inside the open doors. "21," the man stated without looking at her.

Sakura pressed the elevator button to go down. She entered the number onto the dial pad and felt the elevator shift to the right before its descent. Once there, she knocked before walking through the doors. Tsunade stood with a blonde male.

"Hi," Sakura said awkwardly.

Tsunade looked at her. "Sakura, welcome."

The male turned around to face her. "My name's Uzumaki Naruto, and I'm a werewolve!" he grinned brightly.

What the..? Tsunade smacked the back of his head. "Sakura, you've been selected to be a part of the government's Special Forces. You've qualified because of your physical ability and strong personality."

Sakura took a step back. "Special Forces?"

"They're elite beings who help the world stay away from distress and to keep peace."

Sakura took a step back. I don't have time for this. "Thank you for the offer, but I-,"

"Oh come on! It's gonna be so much fun!" Naruto exclaimed. I don't even know if I can trust someone who believes they're a werewolve.

"There are many from your school who've joined us. No one will expect a thing," Tsunade assured.

Sakura's decision was bending. "Come on Sakura! Just imagine the adventures we'll have together! I'll protect you, dattebayo!"

Sakura showed them her back. She walked out. "Just one thing..." Sakura opened the door and waited for the sentence to finish. "You can't tell anyone of this. You report for training tomorrow everyday after school," Tsunade demanded.

Sakura shut the door.

"I'll see you tomorrow Naruto," Sakura waved.

"Bye Sakura-chan!"

Sakura sighed and walked to her small yet compatible apartment. Tomorrow was a big day for her. Right after school, she would have to go search the unknown source of kemono. Sakura went up the steps of the main building and opened the wooden door. As soon as she stepped in, the atmosphere felt ominous. Sakura's hand quickly switched on the light and she saw her living room items exactly where she had left them.

Sakura's backpack fell to the floor, as her nimble feet glided on the hardwood floors. "I know you're here."

There was no response. Sakura's knees bent in a low squat. There's only one way to find out if someone was here. Her hand reached to the wooden panel on the floor. Her index finger swiped over one of the lines, causing a string to detach itself from the floor. The string flew in every direction of the apartment. A loud whoosh sounded from further inside.

Sakura's feet carried her to her room to find the window open and the moon as a light source. She looked down and saw a dark figure sprinting at an impossible speed. Sakura's eyes widened. An illusion! Sakura turned in time to avoid a fatal hit to the back of her neck. She side-stepped and jumped onto her bed. The dark figure gave her no time to recover, heading straight to tackle her. Sakura jumped away and pulled at one of the strings on the floor.

The figure dodged the sharp line from pushing him to the floor. Both people stopped. "Who are you?"

The figure looked up at her and made a dash for the open window. Sakura gasped and followed but lagged when an arm pushed her back. Shit! She landed safely on her patch of strings. It was as if the intruder planned everything. The way the person moved, how they appeared to ambush her, the way they pushed her back, and how they made a safe landing for her. That was no coincidence. Sakura sighed and flipped on the button of her lamp.

The room looked exactly the way she'd left it in the morning. The strings covered every inch of the floor. Sakura's keen eyes spotted a drop of blood on one of the sharp lines. One drop? Just what is going on? Sakura retracted the strings and sighed. She took a parchment of paper and wiped off the blood. She kept the paper in her hand as she changed and went into her kitchen. Leftovers from yesterday were warmed up and ready to eat.

Sakura made sure all windows and doors were shut before relaxing. Who could that be? Sakura went to bed after washing up. The paper was placed in her pajama waistline. The intruder is bound to show up to hide any evidence of their identity.

Sure enough, near midnight, Sakura felt the blankets rise from her body. She turned and felt one large hand grab her wrists above her head and one on her stomach. Sakura opened her eyes and reversed the positions of the abductor. Judging by the hand's width, she'd say her abductor was a male. The man shoved her away and reached for her waist. Sakura slapped his hand away and scooted back.

"Stop! Tell me who you are, and I'll destroy the proof," she negotiated.

She felt the man smirk. He wasn't going to buy it. He tackled her and rested his palm on her elastic band. His fingers pulled out the paper. She pulled him off of the bed and to the floor. She straddled his legs and grabbed blindly for the parchment. Once she was sure it was in her grasp, she got up, only to be pulled down again.

The man grabbed the paper and flew out her window. Sakura was quick on her feet and followed him out to stop and see him sprint across the street. She saw the back of her attacker's hair- it was spiked up in the back. Where have I seen that before?

(A/N: That's a wrap! Whew. I wanted this out before I went to bed. Review and tell me what y'all thought about it. Bye bye.)