Nonono!" Hazō shook his hands in denial. "I'm not saying we give up. Now that we know what we're up against, we can apply the proper amount of effort to the problem. We'll go to Cannai and ask him to get his senior ninjutsu experts to help us. We'll get everyone's advice, and we'll figure out how to go from there. We won't give up just because we can't do it the Captain Hatake way."
"But Cannai… isn't he the Dog Clan Kage?" Atomu asked. "Canun-sensei talks about him like he's the Sage himself, only with floppier ears."
"He sure is," Hazō said. "And do you know what matters most to the Dogs?"
"What, Lord Hazō?"
"The pack," Hazō said. "To Cannai, you're one of mine, and that means you're pack. You don't hesitate to help one of your pack. You don't weigh the resource costs or worry about whether they can pay you back. You just do whatever's necessary. In his words, 'it is what one does'."
"I'm… pack?" Atomu asked bemusedly.
"You're pack," Hazō confirmed. "And this is a thing you need, which means we will get it for you."
Atomu blinked several times, then wiped his eyes. "Excuse me, Lord Hazō."
"Don't worry," Hazō said. "Sometimes these things are overwhelming to me too.
"Also, quit calling me 'Lord Hazō'
