Shiba

Shiba's coat is a pale grey that fades to white along his underside, topped by a black crest running down his head that resembles a mohawk. His eyes are round and ringed above by dark markings, a look often compared to Kisame Hoshigaki's. Like the rest of Kakashi's hounds he wears the pack's standard gear: a blue vest stamped with the heno-heno-moheji seal, a Konoha forehead protector fastened at the neck, and wrappings bound around his front legs. Earlier depictions tinted his fur red before it was changed to silver in later appearances.

Keen senses let Shiba lock onto a target and follow its trail with little trouble. He can even pursue quarry beneath the surface using the Summoning: Earth Release: Tracking Fang Technique, and once he closes in he pins the target so Kakashi can strike unopposed. His real strength shows in coordination with the rest of the pack, since the hounds slip between practiced attacking and defensive formations that make full use of their speed and powerful limbs.

After the pack forms its contract with Kakashi Hatake, Shiba joins his fellow hounds on a string of tracking assignments. In flashback he helps hunt for the kidnapped Rin Nohara and later chases the fleeing Orochimaru. One of his earliest field roles comes in the Land of Waves, where he and the pack sink their teeth into the rogue Zabuza Momochi and hold him fast, giving Kakashi a clear opening for the Lightning Cutter.

He is summoned again and again as the story goes on: to trail Naruto's group as it races after Sasuke, to scout the Takumi Village, and to follow the Akatsuki agent Sasori using a scrap of his clothing. During the pursuit of Itachi Uchiha he works alongside Sakura, and at the Five Kage Summit he ferries intelligence scrolls to the other villages. Later still he sniffs out explosive tags planted aboard the Tobishachimaru and, in the New Era, tracks Mirai Sarutobi through the night to the hideout of a Jashin cult.