Chapter One

Enter Naruto: Bastard of the Fourth!

"Lord Hokage! Lord Hokage! We have an emergency!"

Minato Namikaze sighed when the music of the birthday party came to a sudden stop as a pair of Chūnin rushed into the large home. Being October Tenth, his youngest son Menma was currently celebrating his tenth birthday with a large party that included multiple guests from the major clans of Konohagakure. He prayed the entire night before for everything to go without incident, unlike the previous year's disaster resulting in the death of Danzo. But, sadly, the fates desired something different from him.

Minato strode towards the front door, apologizing to the many guests with an uncomfortable smile. He noticed the sharp glare of Kushina Uzumaki, his wife, and mother of Menma, and shivered at the displeasure written on her delicate features. "This better be important, and don't tell me it's Naruto again."

"It is Naruto!" The lead Chūnin began to flail his arms around. "He put graffiti all over the Hokage!"

The other Chūnin continued the panic. "He broke into the Hyūga Compound and clogged all of the toilets!"

Minato pinched the bridge of his nose and shook his head. But, of course, it was always Naruto. His oldest son seemed determined to make him go grey far before the proper time. With Hana away on a mission, Naruto lacked a guardian or watcher to prevent him from running amok in the village.

"Where is he?" Minato threw on his cloak. His initial plan of spending the day with his family…no…Naruto was part of his family despite not living with him. A twinge of guilt ached in the man's heart, reminding him of a mistake ten years ago that almost cost him his marriage.

"That's the issue! No one can find him! He escaped!"

A ten-year-old boy escaping veteran Chūnin? A small smile crept onto Minato's face. "Where was he last spotted?"

A single boy appeared in the living room in a flash of smoke. Clad in a hideous orange jumpsuit that matched his mop of spikey orange hair, his whiskered face split into a massive foxy grin. Crimson eyes danced around the room, examining the guests with a mischievous glint. The guests stared past those features to the three crimson fox tails swaying behind the boy like serpents ready to strike. Minato felt the fear consume the room, given the date and what the boy represented. His heart swelled with dread and fatherly love at the strange child. However, the look on Kushina's face changed from annoyance to cold apathy.

"Naruto Inuzuka has arrived!" The boy yanked out a long string of sausages from his jacket. "I brought wieners!" A few of the younger boys began to giggle.

Menma Namikaze, a carbon copy of Minato except with his mother's violet eyes, tilted his head. "Boss…I don't like wieners."

"Tell that to Sasuke," Naruto laughed as his younger brother turned tomato red. "These wieners aren't for you! They're for the dogs!"

"Dogs?" The word slipped out of Minato's mouth. Horror twisted the Hokage's stomach into odd twists as the impending chaos crushed his hopes of a pleasant day. "Naruto…did you…?"

Naruto beamed with pride when his father caught on to the storm fast approaching. "Sure did, pops!" He looked down at Menma and tossed a frog wallet onto the boy's lap. "Happy birthday, little bro! Take care of Gama-Chan!"

"This is amazing! I love her," Menma squealed in delight as he looked over the little frog wallet. "You even filled it!"

"Naruto Inuzuka takes care of his little bro. Believe it!" He kicked over a glass of grape juice onto a lavender-haired girl with white eyes. Two hidden, furry ears perked up from the sea of orange hair at the top of his head. "The other guests are here!"

Kushina took a deep breath and leveled a glare at Naruto. "What did you do, little bastard?" His mischievous grin turned downright malevolent as a choir of barks and growls filled the house.

Within seconds, canine carnage erupted within the Namikaze household. Twenty dogs stormed through the front door in a tidal wave of claw and fang, knocking the Hokage aside as if made of paper. The pungent aroma of processed pork combined with the other food drew the pack of dogs into a feeding frenzy. Guests screamed and scattered, knocking over tables, and sending soda onto freshly cleaned carpet, as the dogs devoured anything in sight. A few bold people tried to grab ahold of the dogs but were swept away and tumbling to the floor. Naruto stood at the center of the chaos cackling with wild glee at the destruction. His tails danced around him in excitement at the shattered peace.

"Go! Go! Naruto!" Menma cheered as his birthday party came to a sudden end. But, unfortunately, his laughter was lost among the symphony of screams and howling. He looked towards his mother with wide eyes, noticing the woman recovering and preparing to strike. "Run, Boss! Run!"

Naruto yipped and dropped to all fours in a wide stance, much akin to the demon snoozing in his stomach. He waited until Kushina made her move before throwing himself across the room and through a window, shattering the panel and sending shards onto the surrounding guests. Konoha's Red Death followed close behind, ignoring the devastation of her household in favor of enacting righteous revenge on her husband's greatest mistake.

Minato rubbed his forehead and felt a warm stream of blood flow from a fresh cut. "Hiashi! Take control of this mess! Itachi, you're with me!" The last thing he needed to deal with today was Kushina maiming his other son.


"You can't catch me, Tomato-chan!"

Naruto jumped between the rooftops of the Shinobi Quarter of Konoha towards the training fields. He dared not look behind for fear of spotting Kushina Uzumaki. He enjoyed pranking her the most of all the people who spoke with him. She constantly criticized him and warned Menma to stay away from him. His father tried to get them to be friendly, but that failed when she refused to allow him to move in with them. Yet, simultaneously, he loved being chased by her due to the thrill of danger. Somewhere, buried deep within her tomato heart, Naruto knew she enjoyed their game of hound and fox.

"Naruto! Once I get my hands on you, I'll pluck every hair from your tail!" Kushina's threats sent a shiver down his spine. Everyone in the village knew about her violent personality. He did not know if she would follow through with her threats and did not want to risk finding out. "You've crossed a line this time!"

This forced a grin on Naruto's face. His prank went off without incident, and the look on his father's face could not be more delicious. It took him three whole days of planning and preparing to ensure this prank went off without issue. Hitting the Hyūga Compound, Hokage Rock, and his father's house in one afternoon required perfect timing to throw off the Chūnin assigned to watch him. Now, all he needed to do to claim victory was to evade capture by Kushina or his father.

Naruto dropped onto the crowded streets and disappeared into the mob of people. He watched as Kushina scanned from the rooftops before moving on.

"Piece of cake," Naruto grinned as he pulled a meat stick from his pocket.

"Is that so, Naruto?"

A shrill yip pierced the eardrums of all the surrounding civilians. Naruto jumped into the air and landed on his butt. He stared into the endless black void the Uchiha Clan called eyes. Leave it up to Itachi Uchiha to catch him. The man always seemed to know where he was hiding.

"Itachi! What are you doing here?" His sister's boyfriend towered above him, clad in the formal kimono worn by the head household of the Uchiha. They rarely talked outside the times when Hana took them out to eat.

A faint smile appeared on the emotionless mask the oldest Uchiha boy wore. He kneeled to collect the unopen meat stick from the ground, handing it back to the boy after opening it. "I should be asking you the same question. Why aren't you with your grandparents?"

"Hmph!" Naruto spun around to nibble on his treat. "They told me to go home." With his older sister away on a mission, Naruto was to spend the day at his grandparent's house in the Inuzuka Compound until his father collected him for dinner at Ichiraku. They greeted him at the front gate, threw some money on the ground, and told him to bother someone else. Like the rest of the clan, neither his grandpa nor his grandma wanted to be around him.

Itachi placed a gentle hand on his shoulder. "This prank will make Hana upset. She has been working extra hard lately."

"Yeah," he rolled his eyes. One of his tails pushed away Itachi's hand. "She just wants to join ANBU to get away from me."

"You know that is far from the truth, Naruto." Itachi's tone grew hard. "We are trying to save enough money to get a house for all three of us. I am positive that you would rather live with us than alone in your apartment. Hana needs you to be well-behaved and out of trouble." He circled around and took a seat in front of Naruto. With a broad smile, he poked the boy's forehead. "Imagine living with us full-time. We might even become friends!"

Naruto tried to fight back the thick tears. He wanted nothing more than to wake up in a house like the one his father lived in. His older sister mentioned trying to get enough money to have him live with her, but her salary as a Chūnin barely supported herself. Itachi wanted to help them but had to deal with his clan's archaic relationship rules.

"I promise to be better."

Itachi's emotionless mask fractured to show the compassionate man hidden within. "I'll hold you to that! Perhaps I'll cook you a big breakfast tomorrow if you clean up your mess and behave for your father this evening." Onyx eyes hardened once more as the mask returned. "Lady Kushina is approaching. I suggest you escape now."

Naruto needed no more encouragement before darting off toward the training fields. He debated returning to his clubhouse beyond the village's walls but knew his father was probably waiting for him there. Ichiraku and his apartment seemed far too obvious of a destination, while the Inuzuka Compound would simply turn him into the ANBU. Where else could he hide?

Her.

Usually, Hana would escort him to visit her. They did it every year on his birthday, bringing candles and flowers to make her happy. Of all the birthday traditions, he looked forward to spending an hour with her and talking about his life. It made him feel less alone. With his destination determined, he changed directions to travel to the western part of the village. All clanless ninjas were buried in a large cemetery nestled against the wall surrounding Konoha. It lacked the beauty of the more exclusive graveyards reserved for clans or heroic shinobi but maintained a solemn atmosphere with statues of different kami watching over the departed. His legs guided him to the grey tombstone.

Tsume Inuzuka. Loving Mother and Veteran of the Third War. August 12th, 1965CE – October 10th, 2002CE.

Naruto folded his hands together and prayed like his father had taught him. Then, after a few seconds, he approached his mother's grave.

"Momma," he grinned and took a seat in front of the marker, "hope you've enjoyed the show in heaven. The look on their faces was downright perfect! No one expected me to break into the kennels after the last time. Suckers thought a simple lock could keep me out!" Heavy tears rolled down his face at the lack of a response, yet he continued forward. "That Tomato will be so mad at me for ruining her stupid party. Serves all of them right for not inviting me!" He pulled a small photo of Menma from his pocket and laid it against the stone. "I did as promised and got little bro something nice. He loves the frogs that Uncle Jiraiya summons, so I got him a froggy wallet named 'Gama-Chan.' Grandpa gave me some money this year, so I filled it full with that so he can go out with Sasuke or something."

Naruto rubbed the back of his head and looked down. His mind raced on what to share with his mother. "Papa is going to find me another tutor after Sora-Sensei quit. She tried to help me, but we both know I'm stupid." He tugged at the grass. A silent sob shook him. "Hana says the clan won't let me have a dog because my grades are too low. Maybe I'll get one next year, so I can be just like you!" The young boy paused, mourning the canine companion he failed to earn. The Clan Elders wanted him to at least carry a B-average before granting him a nukenin. His current low 'D' made his pleas fall on deaf ears. "One day, when I'm Hokage, I'll make sure everyone can have a dog, cat, or whatever pet they want so no one is lonely!"

Somber silence filled the air as Naruto closed his eyes for a quick nap, suddenly too tired and sad to continue evading his pursuers or continuing to talk with his mother. Instead, he dreamed of a mother, long dead and known only through photographs, waiting for him back in his little apartment to celebrate his tenth birthday. Papa, Menma, and even the Tomato would be there too with presents. Best of all, Hana would come into the apartment with a puppy just for him and promising special training to guarantee him the title of Fifth Hokage.

Reality came back in the form of a gentle nudge to the shoulder. "Naruto. Wake up, Naruto."

Crimson eyes flickered open to stare into beautiful oceans of blue. "Papa?"

Minato knelt before him with a warm smile illuminated by the setting sun. "Figured you were here. Thought I would give you a few hours with her."

Naruto stretched and crawled forward to hug his father. "Is the Tomato mad at me?"

"Very much so," Minato chuckled softly. "Her and a lot of others. We'll clean up some of the mess tomorrow morning. Come on now, no need to frown. It'll take us a few hours, then the rest of the day will be spent doing anything you like." The man ran his fingers through the bright orange hair, rubbing the vulpine ears with two fingers.

"What was she like?" Naruto looked up into his father's face.

Minato rubbed the back of his head. "Tsume…your mother…was like Kushina in many ways. A real fighter with a strong head and a stronger heart. She hated when people were bullied and vowed to defend the weak at all costs."

"Papa, what's a whore?"

Blue eyes widened, and Naruto yelped at his father's tight grip. "Who taught you that word?"

"Sora-Sensei said that momma was a whore."

"Naruto!" Minato forced his son to look up. "Your mother was never a whore. If anyone ever says that to you again, you are to tell me immediately." His tone softened into a barely audible whisper. "We both made a mistake."

"Am I a mistake?" Naruto squeezed his father in hopes of getting a good answer that would not hurt.

Minato chuckled and shook his head. "Do you know why your momma named you 'Naruto'?"

"Eh?"

"You see, Jiraiya-Sensei wrote a normal book once about a brave shinobi named 'Naruto Musasabi,' whose father was killed in battle." Minato stroked his son's hair as bottled-up tears flowed down his face. "He swore an oath to become someone who could endure anything for the sake of the people he loved. In the end, through a lot of hard work and compassion, he becomes a great sage that ends all wars. Your mother loved the book so much that she named you after the main character in hopes you'll grow into a man just like him." Minato did not have the heart to tell the boy that the cheap paperback novel was the only companion Tsume had in the final months of her life.

"Papa." Naruto tugged at his father's blond locks. "Can you take me out for ramen?"

Minato rolled his eyes and grinned. "Of course. Just limit yourself to five bowls this time around." He watched as his son crawled back to the tombstone and hugged the stone tightly.

"I'll be back next year, momma. I'll earn a pup and make you proud!" He offered one more prayer to the gods before placing a single kiss upon the stone. "I swear I will become just like the 'Naruto' from the book."


Father and son walked through the streets of Konohagakure towards the famed Ichiraku Ramen Stand.

Minato maintained his fatherly smile as the crowds parted ways to allow him unrestricted passage. He tried not to think about punching the civilians of his village nor kicking the ass of any of his ninjas that glared at his son. The life of a Jinchūriki was one of isolation at the best of times but to carry the physical corruption of a Tailed-Beast was a promise of pain. Kushina warned early on that the fox would attempt to use the Inuzuka blood to alter the infant's appearance into something more suitable for the beast's tastes. As Naruto tapped into the demonic chakra, Tsunade warned that further alterations could occur. Of course, none of this sat well with the populace of Konoha, and many wanted the boy locked away. The scandal around his son's conception only added fuel to the fire, with some radical people claiming that the boy was a demon born of Tsume's sin.

The Inuzuka Clan's refusal to integrate the boy worsened the dire situation. The one-night stand shamed Tsume to such a degree that she spent the last nine months of her life as an exile living alone outside the village's walls. Despite his owning up to the mistake, no one (except a pregnant and distraught Kushina) blamed him for the drunken tango that spawned Naruto. He hoped that Tsume's sacrifice of her life to seal the fox would change the hearts of her clan, but the Inuzuka made it perfectly clear that the boy was not welcomed among the 'pack .'At the age of four, they filed the paperwork to have him transferred into the custody of Konoha. His own attempts at bringing Naruto into his household were met with fierce resistance from the Council, who feared upsetting one of the great clans of the village. Kushina, still bitter at the betrayal and focusing on Menma, threatened to leave with her son if Minato dared to allow Naruto to live with them. In the end, Minato bought a small apartment near the Hokage Tower for the boy to live in. Hana Inuzuka, Tsume's daughter, stepped up to look after her baby brother, but her growing career took most of her time. Between his duties as Hokage and trying to salvage his marriage to Kushina, Minato found little time to spend with Naruto.

It did not surprise him that Kushina wanted to see his bastard as little as humanly possible. Birthdays, for example, became a touchy subject. Menma and Naruto, born on the same day, never celebrated their birthdays together despite viewing each other as brothers. She threw a party for her son but requested that Naruto stay far away from the festivities. Minato shuddered at the tantrum five-year-old Naruto threw upon learning that he could not come to his 'little bro's party. Over the years, the tantrums turned to pranks of increasing severity. He knew his son did not want to hurt anyone but wanted some attention. Usually, Hana would stop Naruto long before anything serious could happen.

It pained him that Kushina could not find a little sympathy for the boy. Tsume used to be her best friend, so the betrayal stung her bad. Naruto was a constant reminder of that betrayal that looked just like Minato and inherited much of Tsume's mannerisms. She never directly treated him cruelly and did examine the fox's seal once a year to ensure proper function. However, he saw the cold stares that she would level upon Naruto. He knew the rage simmering below the surface of her smiling features. This year's prank did not win him any favor. Somedays, he wondered if it would have been better to simply divorce. Instead, both decided to stay together to give Menma a normal life and found some peace with each other.

"I want extra pork in my bowls," Naruto's declaration snapped him out of his brooding. "Papa! Can I get a brownie, too?"

Minato placed an arm around his son's shoulders. "Remember the dad tax?"

"Papa gets the first bite!" Naruto huffed at the injustice.

"Hey, now. When you have children of your own, you'll be able to charge a dad tax. Speaking of which, which young lady in your class will give me a grandbaby to spoil?"

Naruto stuck his tongue out. "Girls are confusing. They never laugh at my jokes."

"Oh?"

"Hinata hit me when I mooned Menma! He laughed, so why did she get mad?"

Fangirls. Every academy class had them, and Menma's fan club expanded outside the classroom into the streets, with many civilians claiming the boy was the 'Yellow Prince.' It was a damn good thing his youngest son was humble and tended to avoid social situations. Minato looked forward to the day his crush on Sasuke Uchiha became known to the public. The number of broken hearts will drown the streets in tears.

Minato pushed aside the curtain of Ichiraku and sat at the bar. "Girls like different things than us boys. You'll understand them one, trust me. Jiraiya-Sensei already wants to personally train you as his apprentice." The thought of one of his sons becoming a mini-Jiraiya was almost too scary to think about.

Naruto's eyes snapped open. "Really? I can get trained by Uncle Jiraiya?"

"Trust me. Any training Pervert-Sage can offer you regarding women will end in you being very lonely." Minato stiffened at the polite, controlled tone of his wife. He did not expect her to approach them at the ramen stand of all places. Kushina sat next to him and ordered a bowl of Miso with extra pork. Naruto's young eyes widened at the thought of being alone.

"Hey Papa. What's a pervert?" Naruto peered around his father to stare at the Tomato.

Kushina decided to answer. "A pervert is a woman…or a man that only looks at people for how they look without caring about feelings. They like to read Jiraiya's little orange books."

Thankfully, Naruto had the social intelligence of a potato and failed to notice the biting tone of the woman. "Is papa a pervert? I saw him reading one of those in his office after Iruka-Sensei kicked me out of class! He was giggling really creepy, ya know?"

"I am not some little pervert!" Minato glared at Naruto. He did not need his precious foxy son's image of him ruined due to some light reading between meetings.

"Oh." Naruto blinked. "Are you a big one?"

Kushina's laughter tore through the evening silence. She slapped her hand against the counter but could not stop the laughter until falling out of her chair. Her violet eyes glistened with tears and amusement. "Hmph. I suspected that you were a fan of your sensei's work!"

Minato groaned and rubbed his forehead. All he wanted was a little bonding time with his son. Could it get any worse?

"MINATO! My boy! Have you finally come around to my way of thinking?" Jiraiya, Toad-Sage of Konoha, plopped down next to Naruto with a massive grin. He placed an arm around Minato's shoulders, tears flowing down his face. "I knew you would eventually follow my path, dear student. With your speed, we'll be able to conduct research across the entire nation without ever getting caught!"

Minato decided that he had died in Naruto's prank and was sent to hell to suffer for all his many sins. A quick change of topic was required to save face with Naruto and avoid Kushina's disapproving stare. "So, dear, where is Menma?"

"Ah!" Kushina clicked her tongue. "He is spending the night with Sasuke. Just dropped him off and thought to grab a quick bite to eat. I'll take my bowl to go so you three can chat."

"WAIT!" Naruto scrambled out of his seat to sit next to Kushina. "How do I not become a pervert? Please! I don't want to be lonely!" He grabbed the side of her dress.

Minato noticed Jiraiya's face harden. Only fools believed that the Toad-Sage was a fellow fool. The older man leaned forward towards the counter, ready to spring into action at the first sign of trouble. His hand curled into a fist at the sight of Kushina's narrowed eyes. It had been many years since Naruto approached her in such a way, and he never had physically touched her.

Please, Kushina. Be better than me.

Kushina took a deep breath, violet eyes drilling into his pale forehead of Naruto. She raised a single hand, causing Minato to tense, before placing it on the boy's shoulder.

"You have come to the right woman, Naruto." Her smile dropped into something cooler yet genuine. "Order your bowls, and I will tell you how not to become a pervert like your uncle and, apparently, your father."

Naruto, zealous to follow orders of the woman that would teach him how not to be alone, slammed his hand onto the counter. "One miso with extra pork, please!"

"Excellent choice," Kushina nodded. "That is the first thing you should learn. Compliments do not have to be about physical appearances. Personality is far more important than beauty."

Naruto smiled and pointed to his hair. "Yeah! Like, people judge me because of my funny hair or eyes!"

The Uzumaki woman huffed and smiled again. "Well, boy, red or orange is perfect for hair. Don't let any of these blondes or brunettes tell you otherwise."

"I mean, your hair is pretty, ya know?" Naruto rubbed the back of his head before pausing. "Wait. That was a compliment on your appearance! Did I mess up, Kushina-Sensei?"

"You did not." Kushina twisted a strand of hair around her finger, admiring the color. "You complimented my appearance without making me feel weird. Keep it simple."

Minato watched the exchange with a frown. Naruto was right. Girls were confusing.


Kurama watched the events of her host with a mischievous smirk. Despite her many conflicting declarations, she did not hate the boy or any of her previous containers. Humans, by their flawed nature, desired power to control the world, just like she had the desire to create chaos and rebel against tyranny. It was the way of the universe, and to deny it only brought misery. In due time, she would be free of her captivity and servitude to run amok among the nations of the world to scheme and trick the unworthy.

"Naruto…"

The boy serving as her prison concerned her. His maternal bloodline came from a line of nature worshippers with a deep connection to the spirits. This special bond forced specific changes onto the child that she could not prevent, furthering his status as an outcast. The boy's paternal bloodline worsened the effects. She never expected that the Namikaze boy her previous host drooled over would be a Senju. The miserable clan of the First Hokage shared a similar bond to the natural world, like the Inuzuka. Combined with essence, Naruto's transformation into a kitsune within a few years was set in stone. How the seal containing her would react to such a sudden change remained a mystery that did not leave her feeling comfortable.

Who would have thought that her best prank to date would have had such long-term consequences?


This came out of nowhere, huh? Apologies for the silence of the past few weeks! I have been out of the country on business. My main writing laptop decided to have a heart-attack, so I did not really have much of anything to write on. Luckily, I've been able to plot out more 'Finding Ourselves' and this new story. Some of you may have noticed the disappearance of my other three stories. Frankly, they were not to the quality that I want to deliver to you, the readers. Going forward, I will only really focus on two stories at once. Much more manageable and allows me to put out higher quality chapters.

So, this is a very different world than the one we see in Canon. In short, Minato had a one-night stand with Tsume Inuzuka that led to the birth of Naruto, who still became a Jinchūriki. I love stories that feature a living Minato and Kushina, so I wanted to do something a little bit different. Naruto's connection to foxes extends beyond the tails and ears, with many of his mannerisms very vulpine inspired. The main characters will be Naruto, Minato, Sasuke, Menma, Itachi, Hana, and whoever who is paired with Naruto. Speaking of pairings...I have yet to decide who should get our loveable red head!

I have a list of seven possibilities that I want your feedback on. Despite my normal dislike of harem fics, I am pairing Naruto with two women for plot reasons (kitsune related stuff).

1) Fem-Kurama - The most obvious choice and one of the women. Be prepared for a very light-hearted Nine-Tails that can instantly turn bloodthristy when provoked. I have a lot planned for her.

2) Tsunade - An odd choice but could be interesting given Naruto's ultimate fate. She'll have to work over some personal issues but would be funny to see interacting with Kurama (who also has a love of gambling).

3) Kurenai - Naruto's kitsune abilities will feature a ton of illusions. Who better to pair with Naruto than the Mistress of Genjutsu?

4) Kushina - Talk about a super odd choice. Her marriage with Minato is all but dead (with a special pairing coming up for Minato that was already mentioned in the chapter briefly). She has extremely mixed feelings about Naruto. Tsume's mistake really wounded her, making her slightly cynical. Naruto is a reminder of that betrayal. At the same time, Naruto's burden of being a Jinchūriki softens her hard exterior.

5) Hinata - While I love Hinata, I find writing her to be slightly boring if using standard personality. This time around, Hinata would be more akin to Neji in her outlook on life and kinda of an Ice-Queen.

6) Mikoto U. - Itachi's mother would be absolutely hilarious given Kurama's dislike of Uchiha. If I wasn't already working on a Fem. Sasuke fic, I would have totally done a female Sasuke.

7) Sakura - Put your pitchforks down! This Sakura will be exteremly different than the loudmouth we know in Canon. Imagine a soft-spoken artist/bard that never became friends with Ino.

I'll be throwing a poll up to allow you guys to pick and will leave it up for the next week or so.