#hatake pack

[konohagakurekakashi]

Do the Ninken actually stay with you?

Hmm...no.

Although they are very cute and sometimes stay for treats and well-deserved belly rubs, the ninken are not pets. They are skilled comrades that live in their own realm and only enter ours when summoned. Keeping them here for long periods at a time costs chakra.

That's not to say that they aren't around during down time, though. ♡

[konohagakurekakashi]

Alright then, Just Kakashi. Another very important question: which of your ninken was the cutest as a puppy?

Aa well, I'm fairly certain that all of them were cute in their own right. I met the majority of the pack, when they were already grown and headed by my father, so I didn't get to see them as pups. Ninken are supposed to be partners in battle, so pups don't get to contract or be summoned; not until their skills have been honed and they will be deemed an asset, rather than a liability in a fight. With that said, there is a long standing tradition between the Hatake and the Inu spirits they summon where the clan head will introduce any new offspring to his pack and the pack will introduce any of their new pups to the clan head. As such, I did get to meet some puppies, even if they don't necessarily form part of the main summoning pack at present. The closest we have to a puppy is Bisuke, and I can already feel his proverbial whine through the veil.

|| More Headcanons on the pack and summoning here.