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Be My Friend by Karuka Ikashi

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Rivals Rivals

 

            “Iruka!”

 

            The tan boy stirred in his bed as he heard his mother call his name. He blinked sleepily and shielded his eyes from the sunlight pouring in through his window. Iruka was used to waking up early, but last night, he had stayed up late with Kakashi. The Uminos had invited his friend over for the night while the silver-haired boy’s sensei was gone on a long mission. Kakashi, happy to get away from the empty house, had met Iruka by the tree as soon as the younger boy had gotten out of the academy. They had played until dinner and stayed up the rest of the night talking about training and what Iruka was going to do when he graduated from the academy.

 

            “Do you think Sensei will take me on his team?” he had asked, “I want to stay with you!”

 

            “I don’t know. Don’t they usually keep kids from the same class together?”

 

            Iruka had frowned.

 

            “I don’t know who I’d want to be teamed up with from my class…”

 

            “Don’t worry about it. It’s still a couple of years away.”

 

            Somehow this had not made Iruka feel any better. He wanted to catch up with his friend so badly, but part of him kept saying it was impossible. Kakashi was years ahead of him even though he really wasn’t that much older. Even though Iruka had just turned nine, it would be three more years before he graduated from the academy. Then, he’d have to wait till he was ready to take the chuunin exams because he would still only be a gennin. What if Kakashi was already a jounin by then? Iruka tried not to let jealousy get the better of him. He was proud of his friend and didn’t even envy his rank sometimes when he heard Kakashi’s stories about the type of missions he went on. Would Iruka ever be ready for that?

 

            He saw Kakashi stir tiredly on the futon next to him. The chuunin was a light sleeper, but he was also not a morning person, so even though Mrs. Umino’s call had woken him up, he just closed his eyes to go back to sleep. Iruka crept by him as silently as he could and went to go meet his mother, who was out in the kitchen.

 

            “Morning, Okasan,” Iruka yawned.

 

            “Good morning to you, sleepyhead,” his mother replied, “Is Kakashi-kun awake?”

 

            Iruka shook his head. He stretched as he watched his mother shuffle around the kitchen, checking on what she had cooking.

 

            “He’s still sleeping,” Iruka said, “but I think he’ll wake up soon.”

 

            “All right, then. When you’re both ready, come back for breakfast. You don’t want to be late to the academy.”

 

            Her son nodded before walking back to the bedroom. When he got there, he saw that Kakashi had changed his mind about going back to bed. He was still lying down, however, and looked up at Iruka from the floor with sleepy eyes.

 

            “Breakfast is going to be ready soon,” Iruka told his friend.

 

            “Sounds good,” Kakashi said with a slight smirk, “I’m hungry.”

 

            The chuunin rose from the futon that had been laid out for him and rolled it back up. Then, he and Iruka changed out of their pajamas and went to the kitchen.

 

            “So, training today?” Iruka asked with a mouth full of rice and egg.

 

            “Don’t talk with your mouth full,” Mrs. Umino chided.

 

            Iruka swallowed with a big gulp as Kakashi nodded.

 

            “Sensei won’t be back till later, so I was going to practice on the training grounds for a while until he gets back.”

 

            “Can I come? I can meet you there after I get out of class.”

 

            Kakashi gave a nod, and Iruka smiled excitedly.

 

            “I’ll still be there,” the chuunin said, “Sensei told me that we’re going on another big mission soon. I want to make sure I’m ready.”

 

            “You train so hard, Kakashi-kun,” Iruka’s mother said, impressed, “No wonder you’re such a fine shinobi.”

 

            Kakashi turned a bit red at the praise, much to Iruka’s amusement.

 

            “Yes, Kakashi-kun, you’re such a fine shinobi,” he imitated in a high voice.

 

            Both Kakashi and Mrs. Umino glared at him.

 

            “Iruka, stop teasing him and finish your breakfast,” she told her son.

 

            “Yes, Okasan,” Iruka mumbled, and went back to shoveling food into his mouth.

 

            Despite Iruka’s fast eating skills, Kakashi still finished before him. The chuunin thanked Iruka’s mother and prepared to leave for the training grounds.

 

            “Hey, wait for me!” his friend called from the table, still gulping down the last bits of his breakfast.

 

            “You’re too slow,” Kakashi said with a slight smirk.

 

            “I’m almost done,” Iruka insisted as he took one last bite from his plate.

 

            “You have to go to the academy anyway,” the silver-haired boy told him, “I’m going further.”

 

            “But we can go together,” his friend said, “The academy’s on the way. Just wait a sec.”

 

            Kakashi sighed, knowing he wasn’t going to get there any faster if he kept talking about it. It wasn’t as if he was in much of a hurry anyway. He waited patiently for his friend to pull on his shoes, and finally, the two were off.

 

            Iruka struggled to keep up as the older and faster chuunin sped ahead of him. With each chakra-powered leap, he felt as if he was getting closer, but Kakashi always seemed to remain out of reach, no matter how quickly Iruka tried to go. Frustrated, he called out after his friend.

 

            “Hey, Kakashi! Slow down!”

 

            The chuunin gave him a puzzled look over his shoulder. Iruka frowned in response. His friend slowed down for him a bit, but didn’t look happy about it.

 

            “You’ve got to keep up,” he told him, “On missions, shinobi travel much faster than this.”

 

            “I’m not slow!” Iruka said defensively, “You’re just a bit faster than me.”

 

            Kakashi shook his head.

 

            “It’s okay, Iruka. You still have time to train and bring your speed up. Don’t forget, you’re a year younger than me.”

 

            The brown-haired boy would rather not have been reminded. Everything Kakashi had excelled at over him had always been a result of his exceptional skills as a prodigy ninja. Iruka knew that even if he had been the older one, Kakashi still would have surpassed him, so he wondered how much age had to do with any of it.

 

            “I’m fast enough now!” he told him, “Race you to the academy!”

 

            With that, he sped off, attempting to leave Kakashi in the dust. The chuunin stared blankly after him and followed with large bounding leaps. When the two finally reached the academy, they landed at the gates at approximately the same time. Iruka huffed to catch his breath but still held a victorious gleam in his eyes.

 

            “See? I won! I’m faster than you are.”

 

            “No, it was a tie.”

 

            “I touched the ground first! Admit it – you lost to an academy student.”

 

            “I didn’t.”

 

            Iruka frowned at him, noticing that he wasn’t even breaking a sweat. His breathing was even, as if he had just taken a stroll around the village. Had Kakashi tied on purpose?

 

            “You weren’t going as fast as you could have, huh?” Iruka asked finally, “You could have beaten me here if you had wanted to.”

 

            Kakashi didn’t deny it. He hadn’t wanted to make Iruka disappointed, but he also refused to let his friend gloat about a victory he hadn’t really won. He had thought this would be the best way.

 

            “We tied,” he said, “That’s all.”

 

            Iruka didn’t buy it, but didn’t have time to argue anymore as the students started pouring into the building. He said a hasty goodbye to Kakashi and followed his classmates into the academy.

 

            The chuunin continued on to the training ground and started going through the drills that his sensei had taught him. He worked on his chakra control, accuracy, strength, and speed. He ran laps around the training grounds and practiced with his weapons in the target range. By the time Iruka came, Kakashi was worn out. He sat beneath one of the trees, catching his breath as the younger boy came up to him.

 

            “Done already?” he grinned, “I thought you’d still be going.”

 

            “I’ve been practicing for hours,” the chuunin panted, “It’s time for a break.”

 

            “Sounds like easy training to me,” Iruka said as he sat down next to his friend, enjoying the moment of relaxation just as much as the chuunin, who no doubt needed it more.

 

            “Just a bit longer,” Kakashi sighed and leaned back against the tree.

 

            Iruka thought he looked as if he was going to fall asleep. The brown-haired boy appreciated the light breeze blowing through the training ground; it was a fairly hot day. The visible part of Kakashi’s pale face was slightly sunburned, and Iruka knew it’d be a funny sight when he saw the chuunin’s bare face with its new mask tan line.            

 

            After a few moments, Kakashi rose slowly to his feet, ready to resume his training. Iruka jumped up after him, excited to be training with his friend who would surely teach him what he needed to know to surpass his classmates. Iruka had been falling behind a bit in class lately; he hated watching his classmates surpass him in exams and physical tests while he struggled. He was more determined than ever to train with his friend so that he could pull ahead.

 

            “What are we going to do first?” he asked anxiously.

 

            “I already went through most of the drills,” Kakashi answered, “Warm up with some laps and target practice. Then we can spar.”

 

            “Spar?”

 

            “Yeah. Don’t worry, I won’t hurt you. Fighting me will be good practice for you, and I’ve done almost everything except spar since Sensei’s not here.”

 

            “You don’t have to go easy on me,” Iruka replied indignantly, “I can handle whatever you throw at me!”

 

            Kakashi’s eyes crinkled slightly with amusement and pride at his friend’s confidence.

 

            “We’ll see after you’ve warmed up. Now go ahead.”

 

            Iruka didn’t need to be told; he was already sprinting around the training grounds in preparation for their mock battle. Kakashi went to the target range to practice throwing his kunai and shuriken until his friend had finished. Iruka joined him not long after. As soon as the two had finished their target practice, they went to the center of the main field to fight.

 

            “Let’s lay down the rules,” Kakashi told him, “No lethal jutsu, no leaving this training field, and no summons. The first one to give up or be unable to continue fighting loses. If you or I get in a lock or jutsu we can’t get out of, we have to quit. Sound okay?”

 

            Iruka nodded.

 

            “I’m ready when you are,” he told the chuunin.

 

            “Good,” Kakashi said, “Then let’s start!”

 

            Iruka ran forward first, but Kakashi wasn’t surprised. He waited for his friend to approach him and then dodged at the last minute. Iruka stumbled forward, missing his target completely. Frustrated, he turned to the spot were Kakashi had moved, several feet away. Iruka came at him again, but Kakashi formed a quick hand seal and suddenly split into three. Iruka looked around at them for a moment, baffled, but he focused on the one closest to him. He turned to aim a punch at it, throwing all of his force into the motion. His target disappeared in a cloud of smoke as soon as he made contact however, and Iruka was unprepared as the real Kakashi dropped low to the ground and kicked his legs out from under him. The younger boy fell to the ground, but was on his feet again instantly, ready to counter whatever the chuunin decided to throw at him next.

           

            It’s going to be hard to win this one just by hitting him, the nine-year-old thought, I need to come up with a plan.

 

            Iruka evaded the next round of punches the two remaining Kakashis threw at him. He struck one as it was flying past him, and the clone disappeared to leave the real chuunin standing before him.

 

            “Not bad,” the older boy admitted.

 

            “Stop going easy on me!” Iruka demanded.

 

            “Who said I was going easy?”

 

            “I know you can do better than that! You didn’t pass the chuunin exams by using shadow clones!”

 

            “You can’t handle more than shadow clones.”

 

            “Try me!” Iruka challenged and held his ground.

 

            Kakashi looked at him right in the eyes and saw that he was serious. He didn’t want to hurt his friend, but he knew Iruka wouldn’t buy any more faking. He’d give him a challenge then. This fight would only be over sooner.

 

            “I hope you’re ready,” Kakashi told him.

 

            “Always,” the younger boy replied confidently.

 

            Kakashi didn’t wait for another cue. He shot off towards Iruka as fast as he could. All Iruka saw was a blur of black and silver before Kakashi’s fist connected with his stomach. The chuunin tried to hold back just a bit, but the force of his attack was still enough to knock his friend to the ground. Iruka fell with a sharp cry that made Kakashi flinch. Did I go too far?

 

            Iruka lay on the floor clutching his stomach while Kakashi stood over him worriedly.

 

            “Iruka, are you okay? I didn’t mean to-”

 

            “Fine,” Iruka told him, scrambling to his feet despite the pang of pain he still felt.

 

            Kakashi really had hit him hard. There’d be a bruise there tomorrow for sure. Iruka didn’t care though. His only concern was to finish the fight.

 

            “This isn’t over yet!” he said, “I can still keep going.”

 

            Kakashi was impressed by his friend’s endurance. He put his arms up in front of him, ready to fend off the coming attack. Iruka glared at the chuunin and reached for his shuriken. He threw a round of weapons at Kakashi, but the silver-haired boy dodged them with well-practiced ease. Iruka grew more frustrated and charged at him, hoping to catch him with a punch before Kakashi had time to react. The chuunin saw Iruka’s fist coming and moved aside. Iruka had thought a step ahead, though, and before Kakashi had the time to look down, the brown-haired boy’s foot had connected with his shin. The chuunin staggered backwards. Shocked that he had actually been hit, Kakashi stared at Iruka with a stunned expression. His friend smirked back at him and took advantage of the opening to aim another punch at Kakashi’s abdomen. The chuunin had decided he was through messing around, though, and caught Iruka’s punch in his own hand, gripping it tightly.

 

            I can’t let my guard down anymore, Kakashi thought, If I can just get him in a lock, this will be over.

 

            He grabbed for Iruka’s other hand, but the younger boy avoided him, trying to pull free. Kakashi pulled back, determined to outdo him in strength, and for a moment, the two were playing tug-of-war with Iruka’s arm. Thinking quickly, Iruka suddenly gave in. As Kakashi stumbled backwards, Iruka used the momentum to throw himself forward, right at Kakashi. His fist met the surprised chuunin’s stomach as both he and his attacker fell to the floor with a thump. Iruka landed on top of Kakashi and grabbed both of his friend’s arms, pinning them to the floor. The chuunin was still in shock after falling for such a simple trick. His stomach hurt and now he could barely move his arms. Iruka was sitting on his stomach, and Kakashi felt like he couldn’t breathe properly even though his friend wasn’t pressing down on his lungs. He thrashed around, trying to knock Iruka off, but the younger boy held him down as best he could. The slight difference in size wasn’t enough to make throwing him off easy. Even though Kakashi had trained hard and was stronger than the other boy, Iruka’s determination to win had seemed to give him strength to match.

 

            “Give up,” Iruka grunted, “You can’t fight anymore. I’ve won.”

 

            The chuunin wouldn’t admit it. He refused to acknowledge that he, a chuunin, could be beaten by a younger boy who hadn’t even graduated the academy yet. It’s impossible. Why did I let my guard down? I held back too much, even after I said I wouldn’t. He’s not going to let me forget it if I let him win now.

 

            Kakashi stopped his thrashing and went limp for a moment. Iruka looked at him skeptically, wondering if Kakashi would really admit defeat, but all the chuunin needed was that second of hesitation to throw everything into a single movement that sent the younger boy toppling off of him. He threw up both his right arm and leg and used the unbalanced force to roll them over so that he was the one pinning Iruka to the floor. Stunned at the sudden change of positions, Iruka stared up at Kakashi blankly.

 

            “You left yourself open,” Kakashi panted, a bit tired from his struggle before, “Now you’re the one who has to give up.”

 

            Iruka gritted his teeth and struggled. Though Kakashi was more worn out than his energetic friend, he had little trouble keeping himself from being knocked off.

 

            “This isn’t fair,” Iruka protested, “I won! You were going to give up.”

 

            “But I didn’t,” Kakashi told him, “You can’t let your guard down until you’re sure that the battle is over. It’s a simple rule.”

 

            “I’m not going to lose!” Iruka yelled, “Just because you’re a chuunin doesn’t mean you’re better than me!”

 

            “WELL SAID, MY YOUNG COMRADE!” a high voice suddenly echoed from the edge of the clearing.

 

            Kakashi looked in the direction that it had come from and stared at the intruder who approached them in the middle of their battle. It was a boy that looked about his age, but with a very unusual appearance. He wore a tight green jumpsuit with light orange legwarmers. He had a neat bowl-cut and smiled with bright shiny white teeth. Kakashi had never seen a stranger child in all his ten years.

 

            “I SHALL AID YOU IN THIS STRIFE AND TOGETHER, WE WILL DEFEAT YOUR FORMIDABLE OPPONENT!” the boy squeaked, the words sounding far too big in his mouth.

 

            “I don’t need your help!” Iruka growled from the floor, trying to shove off a very distracted Kakashi.

 

            “Who are you?” the chuunin asked the green-clad boy.

 

            “My name is Maito Gai!” the boy replied, in a slightly quieter, but more serious tone, “I have trained hard in the art of taijutsu to protect those weaker than me and overcome those who abuse their power in order to bring harm to others!”

 

            “We were just training,” Kakashi replied coolly, “You’re interrupting our practice battle.”

 

            Iruka was still struggling beneath him, trying to take advantage of his distraction by using the same method Kakashi had used on him. The chuunin wouldn’t be overcome so easily, though. He kept his weight on Iruka so the younger boy couldn’t roll them back over. Gai watched them, as if trying to decide if he still wanted to interfere further after Kakashi’s dismissal.

 

            “If you’re just going to stand there,” Iruka grunted finally, close to defeat, “At least help me give Kakashi a real sparring match!”

 

            Kakashi stared at his friend in disbelief as the intruder cried out gleefully from beside them.

 

            “I WOULD BE HONORED TO ASSIST YOU IN THIS BATTLE!” he shouted with all his renewed enthusiasm.

 

            Immediately, he leapt at Kakashi, landing a roundhouse kick before the chuunin even had time to react. Kakashi toppled off Iruka and landed with a thump on the grass. He scowled at his attacker from the ground.

 

            “Two against one isn’t fair.”

 

            “You’re a chuunin,” Iruka pointed out, “We’re both academy students. This makes it even.”

 

            Kakashi frowned at him.

 

            “Fine,” he said, “If that’s how you want it. I won’t hold back this time.”

 

            “That’s exactly how I want it,” Iruka replied with a smirk.

 

            “Alright then. Let’s start.”

 

            Kakashi had barely blinked before Gai shot towards him. The chuunin was impressed by his speed, but the other boy was still too slow for him. Kakashi stepped aside and let the green blur shoot past him. Iruka had followed right after him, and though the younger boy was slower, he was too focused to just blow by Kakashi the way Gai had. The chuunin blocked him as Iruka’s fist came down at his stomach. Iruka swung again, this time higher. Kakashi grabbed his friend’s arm and used his momentum to throw him over his shoulder. Iruka landed on the floor roughly but unhurt. Kakashi realized in a panic that he hadn’t seen where Gai had gone. The other boy surely hadn’t taken that long to recover from missing his target. He whipped around just in time to see Gai leaping at him. Kakashi ducked, crouching on the floor before he lifted his feet off the ground to kick his attacker in the stomach. Gai was knocked backwards and fell. He clutched his abdomen painfully but was back on his feet within seconds, ready to continue the fight.

 

            Iruka attacked again from behind; Kakashi was able to avoid him this time, but had no time to recover before Gai came at him with a flurry of punches and kicks. The chuunin had no trouble blocking him, but he had to admit that he was getting worn out. He rarely fought two or more people at once on the battlefield and never during training unless Sensei had made some shadow clones. These were two real opponents he was facing, however, and he had to make sure to bring them both down quickly without injuring them too badly.

 

            The numbers are against me, he thought, I can make it fairer by creating some shadow clones, but I’ll need to use some other techniques too…

 

            Kakashi multiplied himself into three, and both clones stood with him, facing their opponents. Gai and Iruka attacked the clones immediately, and both of Kakashi’s copies disappeared in a puff of smoke. The boys leapt at the remaining Kakashi at the same time, but when they came in contact, this Kakashi also disappeared, leaving a large wooden stump in his place.

 

            “A substitution jutsu?” Iruka asked surprised.

 

            He had never seen his friend use that before, though he didn’t doubt that he knew it.

           

            “Our opponent has disappeared!” Gai stated.

 

            “Obviously,” Iruka grumbled, looking around the battlefield in search of Kakashi.

 

            The chuunin was nowhere to be seen, however. He seemed to be biding his time.

 

            “Maybe we should split up and search for him,” Iruka suggested.

 

            “No, my comrade!” Gai argued, “It is far better to stay together and fight as a team! We should not risk being ambushed alone.”

 

            He had a point there, Iruka had to admit. The two boys stood back to back, scanning the terrain for any sign of Kakashi, but wherever the chuunin had gone he was keeping himself well hidden.

 

            He would have attacked by now, Iruka thought, Not to the left. Not to the right. Not in front and not behind. Could he really be…?

 

            Before he had time to finish the thought, the ground beneath his feet shifted and two hands suddenly shot out. One grabbed Iruka’s ankle, and the other latched around Gai’s left legwarmer before the dark-haired boy had any idea what was going on. Together, they were pulled right into the ground so far down that they were buried up to their necks in the soil. Kakashi emerged moments later, looking down at the two dumbstruck boys with an amused glint in his eyes.

 

            “I’ve been working on that one. You can’t move, can you?”

 

              Iruka grunted and struggled in place, trying to free himself from the tightly binding hole. It didn’t do any good, though, and Gai wasn’t anymore successful.

 

            “Alas, I must admit defeat,” the other boy confessed finally.

 

            “Me too,” Iruka sighed, his voice full of resentment, “but I’ll win next time! Don’t let your guard down, Kakashi. I won’t be beaten so easily once I’ve trained some more!”

 

            “I’ll keep that in mind,” the chuunin assured him, reaching down to pull his friend out of the soil.

 

            After he had Iruka out, he walked over to Gai, and together, Kakashi and Iruka pulled him out of the ground as well. The silver-haired boy looked exhausted now. Iruka wondered how he had found the strength to pull both of them under. I wonder how much he was really holding back, the younger boy thought bitterly. Unlike Iruka, however, Gai seemed surprisingly happy after his loss.

 

            “Your fighting skills are nothing short of amazing! Even the skills I’ve acquired through my intense training, which has bested many of my own youthful peers, was no match! You’ve proven yourself a worthy opponent. From this day on, I’ll train even harder so that I may one day become even greater. We are now eternal rivals!”

 

            Kakashi just stared at him, half wondering if he should have left the loudmouthed boy in the dirt to dig himself out. Iruka seemed a mixture of amused and embarrassed by the other boy’s short speech. Him take on Kakashi-kun? The scar-faced boy had to admit that he kind of admired Gai’s determination, despite the other boy’s ignorance of what he was getting himself into.

 

            “Someday we’ll both beat you,” Iruka told his friend with a mischievous smirk on his face.

 

            “You can try,” Kakashi shot back with a good-natured smile.

 

            The two boys braced themselves for Gai’s blinding grin. The strange boy gave a quick farewell and rushed off to resume his training immediately. Kakashi knew Sensei would be impressed with that kind of motivation.

 

            “I think we’re done with our own training for today,” he said to Iruka, who was still trying to brush dirt off of his now not-so-white shirt and pants, “It looks like Sensei is going to be back late.”

 

            “Let’s go home for dinner!” Iruka said cheerfully, the thought of his mother’s cooking quickly putting him back in good spirits, even after his loss to Kakashi.

 

            The chuunin agreed, and together, the two of them made their way back into the central part of the village, on the way to the Umino’s house. Kakashi stared at the sky, absently wondering when Sensei would come home. Iruka’s mind was partly on his mother’s cooking, but mostly, he was thinking over the battle. What would it take to finally overcome the chuunin? He felt as if he had been so close, but he had to admit to himself that Kakashi couldn’t have been fighting him at full power, even for a non-lethal match. It frightened him a bit to think of what his friend might be capable of in a life or death situation. He really isn’t that much older than me…

 

            Kakashi came out of his own thoughts and looked at his friend curiously. Iruka was wearing an expression that was far too serious for him.

 

            “What’s wrong?” Kakashi asked, “You’re not mad because you lost, are you?”

 

            Iruka snapped back to reality and frowned.

 

            “You’re a tough opponent,” the tan boy said grudgingly, “Any kid younger than you would have lost.”

 

            “You put up a good fight too,” the older boy told him, “You almost had me for a moment.”

 

            “You let me do that.”

 

            “No, I didn’t,” Kakashi admitted, “but I did let my guard down because I underestimated you. Next time, I won’t make that mistake.”

 

            His eyes squinted slightly in a smile, and Iruka couldn’t help but feel proud for being acknowledged as an opponent who should be taken seriously in the future. He had proved that he was not just some weak little kid that a chuunin could just ignore. He didn’t have the strength or the skills his friend had, but maybe he would be able to find his own way to make up for it.

 

            “Race you to my house!” the younger boy yelled suddenly and bolted off.

 

            “W-what?” Kakashi gasped, breathlessly.

 

            His friend must have known how exhausted the chuunin was. Oh well, Kakashi thought with a reluctant smirk, At least if he wins this one, it won’t be because I let him. He hurried after Iruka with heavy panting breaths passing through his mask, determined to give the other boy a challenge despite his exhaustion. Far ahead of him, Iruka’s laughter echoed down the streets of Konoha. 

 

           

           

           

 

 

           

           

 

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