A trick up his sleeve
Chapter 9: finding the hidden
Koomahana
If you didn't noticed I got a little exited last week with updating, everyone's reviews made me feel so loved I updated too quickly
As such after this chapter it might be awhile before the next one
Disclaimer: Naruto is not mine; you want the real stuff get off this site
Thoughts
Paragraphs are memories
…
…
Naruto laughed as he caught sight of Sasuke, his clothes were still soaking wet, his hair was splattered to one side of his head, and he had a fine tremor crawling over his shoulders. On his left was a weak Shino leaning on him for support and on his right was Temari, who was half leaning on her fan and half on him, blushing prettily and everything.
"Shut up and help me," Sasuke grumbled in irritation, "I can't hold them both up."
"A-alright," Naruto chuckled stepping over and lifting Temari's arm over his shoulder, "So you hear anything from Sakura-chan yet?"
"She, sensei and Gaara went to help lord Hokage," Sasuke answered, adjusting Shino carefully, "That's the last I saw of them."
"Eh~?! You mean Jiji needs help and I wasn't called on?!" Naruto asked loudly, as if it should have been him to help the old man out
"You're not a medic," Sasuke snapped back, "Now come on we have to get back to the infirmly here, they need to rest."
"I'm fine," Temari sighed lifting herself off Naruto with a disappointed look
"What you don't like blondes?" the three turned to see Shikamaru approaching with a smirk on his face, "Other then yourself I mean."
"Shut it Nara," Temari hissed, "you try flinging five fully grown men away from your little brother, it's not easy."
"I'm fairly sure I wouldn't fling them," Shikamaru retorted with a smirk, "Throw a paper bomb or distract them sure but I wouldn't fling them."
"You know what I mean," Temari said with narrow eyes
…
…
Ino sighed in her seat, despite having little more power then most civilians she and Chōji alternated between sitting in the hall as a guard and sitting in the room with the children, trying to keep them calm in the darkness of the hidden room. She didn't know how long they've been in the hidden room but she knew that if she didn't do something soon she'd loose feeling in her legs.
Click-clack, click-clack, click-clack
Ino perked up at the strange sound, her head tilting to the side and her eyes closing as she tried to figure out which way it was coming from. Left would be further inside the base so that would be allies but right would lead to outside which meant a thirty percent increase in chances of it being enemy shinobi.
Click-clack, click-clack, click-clack
...the right, Ino frowned and rose to her feet, knocking twice on the door behind her and drawing two kunai and held them behind her cautiously. She could almost hear Chōji on the other side of the door, his voice soft and smooth as he silenced the children and readied himself beside it, wiry of giving his position away so soon. She waited patiently, listening to the soft footsteps, trying to tell if there was more then one, if it was hurried or any other characteristics that she could take note of.
Click-clack, click-clack... click-clack, click-clack
Singular...
Click-clack, click-clack... click-clack... click-clack,
Close together,... they're taking small steps... small in stature or a maybe a child... no a child would make more noise...
Click-clack, click-clack... click-clack... click-clack,
Soft, almost hesitant, as if searching for something... Anbu would be confident in the path they're walking and Jonin's would've made themselves known by now. Frowning Ino took a deep breath and nearly choked on the familiar smell of blood, her father smelled like that sometimes, regardless of much he scrubbed himself before coming home. So either they were heavily wounded or they just fought so many people they gave up on trying to stay clean in this invasion.
Click-clack, click-clack... click-clack, click... clack...
Their getting softer, Ino noted, opening her eyes to stare into the darkness straight ahead, They've stopped. She could see a pair of black boots in the fire light nearly six feet from her position, locking in on them she could see a small trail of blood leading up the boot and to the shadow cloaked leg. Ino smoothed her face out in a near perfect mimicry of her father's face when he was busy with a case and didn't see her standing in front of him. Rising her eyes slowly, Ino noted the shadow cloaked figure had a mescaline body structure, he was about six feet, possibly 180-200 pounds (She'd have her work cut out for her if she has to fight), she could see the outline of what appeared to be the standard black uniform most higher ranked shinobi wore (She was out classed, most likely won't make it out of this alive), she could almost see the way his hair fell to the side and what looked like the handle of a sword on his back peeking over his shoulder.
"Who are you?" Ino asked, not showing her surprise at how steady her voice was, "Show you're self." The shadow simply stood there as if the strange man was staring at her, either dully in apathy, amusement for her order or curiosity, Ino wouldn't know. She gave no sign of her slight irritation as the man stood stock still in front of her, seemingly studying her—she mimicked Sakura's trick anyways, charging her kunai blades with shaky looking blue chakra.
"..." Ino saw the man tilt his head to the side in an almost curious manner, she hissed and raised her blades just in time to block the three thrown shiriken quickly.
"Oto!" Ino hissed, knowing that it was the sound shinobi who were attaching her village (She didn't notice anyone else before she was hurried away with the group of civilians), "How did you get here?"
"You're fast," the man murmured, his voice sounding strange in the darkness of the stone hall, "And good chakra control... it's not easy filling your blades with chakra much less keeping a steady line of it." Ino swept her back leg out and settled herself into her academy style Taijutsu form, she knew she didn't have a chance, not with a higher rank standing in front of her, but she could at least give Chōji some time to find a way out for the children behind her.
"Ah, you must be one of the famed 'Rooky nine'," Ino's eyes narrowed at the shadow, "you are the blond kunochi... that makes you Ino Yamanaka of team ten, under the instructor of Asuma Sarutobi."
"Who are you?" Ino asked again with gritted teeth, now was not the time to worry about being a girl. As Sakura said, it was time for her to treat her training seriously, she may not survive this encounter but she would give Chōji a chance to get the children out of the room.
"I am none of your concern," the man answered, drawing one foot back and turning away, "I was merely wondering what that annoying little buzz was—now I know." Ino didn't relax in her stance; she stayed low, ignoring the pressure of her tight skirt biting into her knee and the tension in the shoulders of her top.
"I do have a question for you Ms. Yamanaka," the man stopped and seemed to look back at her, "I understand that Ms. Haruno damaged your right arm's chakra net work." Ino could nearly hear her teeth grinding together, she lowered her stance further and lifted her blades higher, letting them glow brightly with her sapphire chakra. "How is it that you can fill your blades the way you do? Dose it not case you pain?"
"So sorry mister," Ino tried to be polite but she couldn't pull out all of the mockery in her voice, old habits die-hard, "But my parents taught me not to speak to strangers."
"Yet you still do," the man chuckled, shaking his head and walking away, "yet you still do..."
Ino kept up her stance in stubborn determination and fear, her eyes closed as she listened to her surroundings carefully. Chōji kept his body huddled in the doorway, listening and waiting for Ino's voice or defensive movement that indicated her need for help.
Ino and Chōji would not move for the next hour
…
…
"Hay Gaara," Temari smiled and waved as she entered the arena medical wing with the gaggle of boys close behind her. "Oh my goodness! Sensei!"
"No tackling!" Baki snapped but it was too late, Temari already flung her arms around his neck "Damn it I'm wounded here!"
"Oh now you complain," the nurse grumbled, rolling her eyes, "You have no problem thumping the boys and arguing with them but the second your daughter gets here you're suddenly a wounded man."
"She's not my kid!" Baki snapped with a slight blush at the thought, he wasn't that old
"But you did raise us," Kankuro snickered out "well, technically you did"
"You mean sealing me in my room for three days is normal amongst parents?" Gaara asked curiously looking at both of his siblings curiously
"Only for you," they chimed together with chuckles
…
…
Two hours after the strange man left, Ino heard another set of footsteps, these ones quick and fast as if the runner was in a rush. Ino heard the noise and jumped to her feet again, knocked on the door twice, and drew her kunai knifes again, holding them behind herself again as she listened to the hurried steps. The hurried steps made an audible sound as the runner skidded to a halt at the mouth of the hall...
"It's over!" a feminine voice shouted down the hall, "The invasion is over! Konoha won!"
Ino blinked and looked back at the door, her lips twisting into a frown
"Hello? Is anyone down there?" the voice called out softly, "Shouldn't you be happy?"
If she answered and it turned out to be an enemy they could over whelm her and slaughter the children...
"It's okay I'm a friend!"
Prove it, Ino thought not moving from her calm stance in front of the door; she refused to put those children in danger.
"Okay here's some news you might not know since you arrived," Ino perked up at the possibility of new in formation "The Hokage died fighting Orochimaru." The voice was soft and steady, almost sad sounding... Ino knew for a fact that a good kunochi could trick the enemy into thinking they were safe if they controlled the tones of voice they used. She's used it for petty things on boys all the time, a smile and batting her eyelashes usually got her a free ice cream cone or something just as nice.
"Do you believe me?" the voice asked curiously, "look you don't have to be so silent! I know you're there; I can feel your chakra! I'm a sensor!" Ino glanced back at the door worriedly, if she spook up she could possibly get those kids killed... what if they were the only ones left in her village? (She refused to even think that they were the only survivors of the attach but what if the kids trusting her with their lives were the only kids left?)
"Look I'm going to rattle off some names and if you recognize one I'll most likely know..." Ino lifted an eyebrow at the dark expanse before her, "I'm a sensor I can sense the different wave lengths accompanied with certain emotions... I just have to be focused with no distractions..."
Should I fight? Ino thought, glancing back at the door worriedly, there were about twenty children hiding behind it, including the Sandaime's grandson, her sensei's nephew. If this woman was an enemy and killed the snot nosed brat she'd be in some deep stuffing... then again she'd be dead but that was beside the point.
What do I do? Ino thought stepping back and out of the light of the torch, letting the dark hallway cloud over her like a protective embrace. Sensei... find us, save us... sensei...Find us!
…
…
Asuma twitched as he felt the band on his wrist start to warm up, looking down he realized that it was glowing Ino's signature warm blue. Softly the bracelet formed Ino's chakra signature into numbers—her location.
Damn it, Asuma thought with wide eyes, snapping around and running away from the group of Jonin's he grew up with. Where the hell is Anbu? I thought they were protecting the safe houses?!
"Asuma!" Kurenai called out as she hurried after him, "What's the matter?"
"Someone's in the safe houses!" Asuma shouted, "Ino just gave me her location through our bracelets! It's used for emergencies only. I can immanently find each of my students and in a pinch they can find me but that's not what's important right now!"
"Then what is?" Kakashi asked as he followed close behind with Gai on his other side
"Ino and Chōji are supposed to be protecting the academy students in the safe houses!" Asuma shouted out, his pace quickening, "Ino just put chakra into her transmitter; someone is trying to get access to the children!" It went unsaid that his younger brother's son was apart of the academy, which meant that he was also hiding with Ino and Chōji. Ten minutes later, the four Jonin's were running down a dark hall behind the Hokage faces; after another five they heard a woman's voice echo back to them.
"Damn it why won't you just belief me or even speak to me?!" the woman shouted ahead of them, "I mean you no harm!"
It's Ino alright, Asuma thought with a sigh, "It's alright Yukane-san I got this one!"
"Huh? Asuma-kun?" the young chunin called looking up at him curiously, "I thought you were still in the village collecting the enemy Nin?"
"I came when I felt Ino call me," Asuma explained holding up his now black bracelet, he turned to walk down the hall but ended up jumping back as a kunai landed just a few inches from where he stood previously.
"Damn it Ino what did I tell you about doing that?!" Asuma shouted down the dark hall in irritation, trying to ignore the narrowed eyed look from Kurenai "You nearly took my toe!"
…
"Damn girl your aim is horrid," he chuckled, looking palely down at the kunai imbedded inches away from his big toe. "You nearly removed my toe..."
"S-Sorry Asuma-sensei" Ino chuckled, scratching the back of her head nervously, "I didn't see you there... normally I have better aim but I'm trying something new today... sorry about that..."
…
Nothing, Asuma thought with a frown, when she was under pressure Ino had a tendency to keep her mouth shut and lash out with her kunai blades or just let Shikamaru handle her particular annoyance.
"So wait up, that person down there is your student?" Yukane asked, dark eyes looking up at Asuma curiously
"Yes and her name is Ino Yamanaka," Asuma sighed
"Your student tried to kill me when I tried to get down there," Yukane growled out, putting her hands on her hips and glaring up at Asuma, "She threw a paper bomb at me and refused to let me get more then ten feet down the hall."
"...She took a page out of Sakura's book," Kakashi sighed, rubbing at his face tiredly, "I have to talk to Sakura about her little obsession with bombs..."
"Did she also teach that brat how to put chakra into her blades?" Yukane asked, flicking a dark curl over her shoulder irated, "Because I had a hell of a time dodging some of those." Yukane pointed to the wall directly behind her, were five kunai blades were buried up to their hilts with a near perfect three inch indent surrounding each of them.
"...I'm beginning to think Ino copied that one from either you or Sakura" Kakashi grumbled looking at Asuma
"Properly both," Asuma chuckled with a strained looking smile, "Alright one more time." Asuma snapped around and walked a little further down the hall, stopping at the kunai that was imbedded in the stone floor.
"Alright Ino listen up!" Asuma heard his voice echo down the hall so he knew the blonde could hear him perfectly well, "The day we first met I teased you three about crying at the mention of 'hard work', you three then coughed together and informed me that you weren't used to cigarette smoke." Ino smiled at the memory but her eyes narrowed a second later, quickly she disrupted her chakra just in case—nothing changed. "A month later I interrupted your private training because you were late for practice, which wasn't normal for you and you damn near took off my toe! After that I tried to help you with your practice but you wouldn't even bother showing it to me."
Ino looked at the cracked open door to see Chōji's unsure features, he wanted to belief that it was Asuma-sensei but they just couldn't be safe enough yet. It was bad enough that Ino had placed the torch inside the room for the children's benefit, a few minutes after the woman appeared, which left Ino in nothing but complete darkness.
"Alright is Chōji listening?" Ino stiffened and glared down the hall, not sure if she should be frightened for the children's benefit, "Chōji do you remember what I told you when you woke up and saw Ino asleep beside you in the hospital?" Ino was very interested when she saw the bright blush on her teammate's face, shown to her by the firelight in the room, "Sorry Ino but you might want to cover your ears for this part."
Like hell, Ino snorted and rolled her eyes
"Chōji woke up and had a mini panic attack, his first words were 'did I d—'"
"Okay Asuma-sensei we know it's you!" Chōji shouted slamming the door open and sliding half way out of the room, face nearly glowing in the darkness, "Thank you for comforting us!"
"Us? I'm not comforted in the least," Ino grumbled rising to her feet and stepping into the room as Chōji went down the hall with a torch in hand. "Children are you ready?"
"Is it time to go home now?" one of the children asked, hope shinning in her dark eyes, "I want to see mommy."
"I'm sure you'll see her soon enough," Ino murmured reaching down and lifting one of the sleepy children into her arms, "Stand together now, everyone behind me? Okay slowly now, no rushing... oh, everyone grab your neighbor's hand—no wining or I'll leave you here, got that?" there were mumbled complaints but they each followed her instructions, knowing that she had been the one to face off against a dangerous stranger and again delayed another until someone familiar came along.
"Calmly now everyone," Ino ordered with a soft smile and even softer voice, "Follow me, don't stray, Konohamaru, Udon, keep Moegi up now."
"Okay," both boys mumbled as they each put one of the orangett's arms over their shoulders and carried her out the door with the rest of the class.
"Chōji?" Ino called softly, standing in the door way and listening carefully, "is it safe?"
"Yeah Ino," Chōji called back from down the hall, "it's just red eyes, green creeper and albino-wanna-be are with sensei"
Thwack!
"Ow! She picked the names!"
Whatever, at least I know it's safe now, Ino sighed smiling as she walked out of the room and moved towards her teammates with the twenty children huddled close behind her, eager to return home but too afraid to leave her side.
…
…
He had gone to her to apologize, to speak with her and hope that she won't get violet with him before he could finish his explanation. Unfortunately when he went to her home she wasn't there, he then went to her clan's compound but they refused to let him enter; so he turned to dust and see if he couldn't find her that way. He did find her, at the top peer of her family's estate, with the clan head drinking tea calmly.
"I apologize for the interruption," Gaara said as he landed on his feet just off of the porch, "I was denied at the gates, I was mealy hoping to—"
"Lover!" Gaara's eyes widened as a crimson and pink blur barreled into him, he stumbled back with the sudden added weight and found himself in the dirt seconds later. He stared dumbly at the very amused looking woman sitting in the room beyond the porch, teacup raised halfway to her lips.
"Ah you must be the sand boy," the woman drawled lazily, sipping her tea. "And Sakura-chan's dream lover, by the sounds of it."
"I'm a little lost," Gaara admitted, glancing down at the smiling pinkette in his lap, Sakura just giggled and rubbed her face against his neck, her arms wrapped tightly around him in a hug.
"This tea," the woman lifted her cup to make a point about what Sakura had drank and what she was going to drink, "Let's one walk a specific dream that's been bothering them lately. The drinker thinks about the dream and drink the tea at the same time, the tea basically lets the drinker relive the dream but in bright clarity. What was confusing before is perfectly clear with the help of the dream, get it now?"
"...I fail to see how this involves me," Gaara said, staring dully up at the copper haired woman who smirked at him like a shark
"Little Sakura-chan has been having strange dreams about a boy having sex with her"
Gaara felt like he just walked into a lions den with nothing to protect himself
"I told her that she showed all the signs of being plucked," the woman's grin didn't falter, "You're a very lucky boy that you used a perception genjutsu on her, otherwise I would be forced to kick your ass to the next world." Gaara stared dully at her, not showing any sign that he understood what she was saying "Sakura-chan" the woman called, rolling her teal eyes in boredom, "Describe your first dream."
"Hai," Sakura gave the woman a sleepy smile, "I was in our shared room looking out at the village, he snuck up on me from behind and wrapped his arms around me. He whispered in my ear and I opened my legs so his hand could slip in—" Gaara's hand slapped over Sakura's mouth; the warmth he was feeling on his face was do to the sun not because he was blushing at the memory, he couldn't blush anyways so it had to be the sun.
"Oh, was there something you didn't want me to hear?" the woman asked with a predatory look in her teal eyes, Gaara didn't look at her, choosing instead to glare at his feet. "It doesn't matter, she already told me," the woman chuckled, "you didn't technically take her virginity so you only owe the girl your servitude, not your life."
"My what?" Gaara repeated dumbly
"You will be her slave, get it boy?" the woman asked with a role of her eyes, "You raped one of my lovely little children; you didn't think I wouldn't punish you for that did you?" Gaara blinked at her then glanced down at Sakura, well it's not like she'd be a horrible mistress but he didn't see how he could possibly serve her from Suna.
"I live in Suna," Gaara said, as if to remind the woman of the little fact, "Do you expect me to drop everything and move here for her? My village won't hear of it, I'm the Ichibi host. They'll sooner kill me then give me up to another hidden village." The woman blinked at him, processing his words before sighing, her cup lowering from her mouth
"I suppose that could pose as a problem," the woman agreed, "I suppose your punishment will be left up to Sakura-chan then."
"Huh?" Sakura turned sleepy eyes towards the woman, a sleepy smile on her face
"How do you want to punish him?" the woman asked, pointing to Gaara, "he must pay for rapping you."
"But he didn't," Sakura frowned at her, "I asked him to have sex with me."
The cup slipped from the woman's fingers and crashed against the table top
…
…
"How's Sakura?" Ino asked as she adjusted her hold on the child in her arms
"She's... a little tired," Kakashi confessed, "her Aunt is taking care of her at the moment..."
"Please tell me you aren't talking about Aunt Nana," Ino said looking a little pale
"Why?" Kakashi asked a little hesitantly
"Because that woman is nuts," Ino answered with a shiver, "The first time I met her, she threatened to skin both of us alive if we came home with another scratch."
Sounds like Nana, Kakashi chuckled nervously, Now that I think about it, I should go check on Sakura...
Poof
"...She's with Aunt Nana isn't she?" Ino asked turning to look up at her own sensei
"I think so," Asuma chuckled
…
…
"How's Sakura?" Kakashi asked as he stepped into the Haruno estate, looking at first to the familiar face of the blonde standing guard, "Is she feeling better?"
"She'll live," Nana answered with a sad smile, "her mentality took a heavy hit, she's a little sensitive to people suddenly dyeing on her."
"Every genin is," Kakashi sighed, "I just came to tell her that the sound boy she beat the crap out of is doing better." If he lives, he'll be out for the next few months... No one was really holding their breath for him to live
"Ah, so that means she hasn't had her first kill yet," the man beside Nana said as if he just had a novel experience, "That might explain why Chicho-sama has yet to evolve."
"Harasa-kun, shut up," Nana ordered with a sigh, "you are so insensitive."
And you're what exactly? Kakashi thought staring dully at Nana, remembering how she first met him in front of the memorial stone and had immanently taunted him about being unable to move on from his past.
"Can I see her?" Kakashi asked instead, immediately Harasa glared at him, teal eyes cold like ice
"No/Of course!" Harasa and Nana answered at the same time, Harasa spoke as if Kakashi had just asked something insulting and Nana as if Kakashi was a cute child she couldn't resist
"There's no need to denai Sakura-chan her sensei's attention!" Nana giggled spinning on her heal and marching away from the Haruno estate gates, "It's hard enough for her to get noticed!"
Kakashi ignored the jab and followed the blonde into the untouched compound carved into the mountainside, noting how they had their large gardens as their first tier, what everyone sees when they first enter the compound. It was like walking into the world's biggest green house, every plant Kakashi saw was sprouting neon bright multi colored flowers, some almost appeared to be glowing in the high afternoon sunlight.
The next tier held larger, possibly more important, buildings; a dojo or maybe a small school, a library, a few training grounds, a large pool fed by a stream from the mountain, an open hot spring fed by the same river as the pool. Nana explained to Kakashi that he was the first Outsider, other then the Shodaime and Niidaime Hokage's who were the only ones who bothered to visit, to come so far into their compound. Their hot spring was open because everyone there was related, so no one really gave a damn what anyone else saw, just so long as they didn't go parading around in their birthday suit no one really gave a damn. The kids would eventually grow up and figure it out themselves anyways, so why prevent it from happening?
The third tier he climbed onto made Kakashi do a double take. The entire landscape looked as if man had never even stepped foot on it, looking closely he could see that there were a few round houses here and there, hiding amongst the forest as if they were apart of the trees themselves. Kakashi wasn't sure, but it looked as if there was a house for every tree in the large grounds, which meant that the Haruno clan was a whole lot bigger then he thought. Like the other two tiers he didn't get to walk through all of it, the stairs were all set close together, but he knew the tiers were massive because he honestly couldn't see where each one ended. The final tier held only a large four-leveled house that was defiantly the biggest house in the entire compound, like buildings in the first and second piers it appeared to have been built by the Shodaime Hokage, with his signature twirling leaves dancing around the edges of the buildings like hidden reminders of the clan's loyalties.
And now their crest makes sense, Kakashi thought turning at the top of the stairs to look back at the large compound below him; he found it hard to focus on the compound when the sight of the entire village was painted so beautifully before him.
…
…
Ino laughed as she ran into her father's arms, smiling as he lifted her up and spun her in place. It wasn't long before Shikamaru was beside her, Asuma and Chōji standing nearby and watching with fond smiles. They walked to the hospital, because her father refused to belief that she was perfectly healthy and wanted a second opinion, they came across team eight and their parents. Of course all the adults had to take a trip down memory lane, enlightening their children all about their own bouts of stupefy when they first started out.
"...and I swear to you!" Inoichi laughed to Ino, a blinding smile in place, "I've never seen the girls' hair sticking up like that! I don't know how Kizashi pulled it off but that was hilarious!"
"Yeah hilarious," Tsume agreed with a pout, remembering the instant she and the other girls her age had went through with Kizashi's experiment, "Everyone always remembers that stunt but never the seal explosion situation."
"That wasn't nearly as funny," Shikaku smirked at her, "there weren't any smoldering Kunochi's out for blood."
"Ch," Tsume's cheeks colored and she turned away from the grinning males, all bright smiles and laughter, "It's not like you didn't have your own issues with his seals."
"True," Inoichi smirked back at Shikaku; earning a groan from his scarred friend in the process, "You did activate that storage seal and ended up beheading what's-his-name in the processes."
"I'm so glade he was an enemy," Shikaku sighed, "that wasn't funny, Kizashi didn't say anything about there being weapons in that damn thing."
"Well, now I know where Sakura's love of explosions came from," Ino smirked at Shikamaru, earning rolled eyes from the pineapple head and a chuckle from Chōji.
"Yeah but where did her chakra control come from?" Shikamaru asked
"Oh no dose Sakura-chan have her mother's chakra control?" Shikaku asked, his shoulders falling slightly, "That can't bold well for anyone."
"At least no one on her bad side," Chōji snickered softly, earning a giggle from Ino and a chuckle from Shikamaru
…
…
Thoughts are helpful
Opinions are wonderful
Helpful criticismis lovely! Just don't cripple me okay?
Please no cursing!
And don't forget to review!
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