A/N: Next chapter is up and before you continue (if anyone actually reads these things) I know that the third Hokage was supposed to be a great man, caring, all that good shit but even so, we've all seen the flashbacks when Sasuke was little, so there were more than just shinobi in the Uchiha clan. There were old people, wives (that weren't fighters), and you know Sasuke couldn't have been the only child since there was a good many in the clan. I'm sure there was a baby or toddler or two running around somewhere. Revolt or not, I doubt the old people were a threat or the housewives, or kids, but the third agreed with the slaughter regardless. That is like saying someone's husband is a threat but lets go kill his wife, his kids, his in-laws and the family dog because they are guilty by proximity. If he was okay with that shit, how good could he really be?

Anyways, thanks for the lovely reviews but I do want to address at least two. One was asking about InoxIta as a couple. It will be a bit before he comes in because it comes in with the plot I have planned and as far as them being together, it will work towards it. I am okay with the InoxSai ending but it isn't my fav where Ino is concerned.

Now for the third review that actually showed in my email but for some reason has not been posted on the site yet. I'm going to paste it here so there is NO confusion, just in case the same jerk decides to click on my story again.

From: g.o.d (Guest)

g.o.d:But SasuHina does make sense? Lol, he doesn't even know who she is. Kill yourself, delusional f***.

To someone delusional enough to call themselves god.

This review, I will address the issues. It makes more sense to me. Two people meet in a bar or online, they don't know each other, it is called meeting and getting to know each other. Fact: we are all strangers in the beginning! As far as him knowing who she is, I'm sure he knows who she is. They were in classes together, even if they weren't friends, the class was small enough that he knew of her existence. There is nothing saying that after the war they could not go on a mission or two, or just be around each other in general because of the friends they DO have in common. Many relationships start this way. It makes just as much sense as a fanfic that puts Sasuke with Naruto. Do you go onto all their fics and say the same garbage?

The issues of me being delusional, not likely, you couldn't find anything else wrong with my fic except the pairing so you had to bitch at that? Hello! If you don't like the couple which it clearly states in the summary, why the hell did you click on it? That clearly makes you an IDIOT!

For me to kill myself? You clearly have way too much time on your hands if you sit on this site to click on pairings you DON'T agree with, just so you can insult the writer. It also indicates that you are a very immature, spiteful, and pathetic person that you would suggest to a complete stranger to do something so immoral and vile. Instead of telling me what to do with my life, why don't you go get one?

My rant is over, for those with open minds and that possess the maturity level of someone older than five, please enjoy the next chapter!

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Chapter Two

The rambunctious laughter alerted Ino to the fact that her mother had finally returned home after being gone all day long. After breakfast, she had left Hinata to decide what to do, and to figure out things herself. As a friend she had said her piece, it was now up to the other kunoichi to decide what to do about the relationship. She honestly thought the girl should end things and move on but it wasn't her heart at stake. She wouldn't tell anyone else what to do, or she'd tell Shika or Temari that their relationship wouldn't work unless one or the other made a permanent move.

She placed the book down on the bedside table hearing something breaking out in the kitchen. Their new home really was small so all she had to do was step out of her bedroom and take a few steps to see that the woman that had birthed her was completely inebriated. The blue eyes were bloodshot, there was vomit already on the silk blouse, and her mother was on her knees. "How much did you drink?"

"Enough," her mother reached out for her, arms wide open. "Come help your Mom up, I can't feel my legs. Lost the… our…whe… before, so had to get mo."

"I'm sure you did," What a lightweight, her mother was a lousy drunk. Ino was positive that she had puked at least twice because there was also a stain near the knees or maybe the one time had been an excess purge of alcohol. "You didn't eat anything before drinking, did you?"

"A bugal with jem," her mother wrapped both arms around her waist before breathing in her face. "So good to me, I didn't deserve you."

"You had me so that is an invalid point right now. Help a bit so I can get you into bed," Ino rolled her eyes at the drunken attempt of trying to cuddle. Her mother had always been loving and protective of her, she had never lacked for affection from her parents, either of them. Still, that dream had brought back doubts from a child. She had easily noticed that her parents were different from Sakura's. The two of them use to pick flowers just because they were pretty and she could remember one time she had made a basket for her mother to give their father. The woman said she'd keep them because her father wouldn't like something so pretty. The next day Sakura had boasted that her mom had given it to her husband and the two had made the loud noises all night long. They had giggled because they had already figured out that when Forehead's mother made noises like a dying cow at night, it was because she was happy. They had been too young to understand that the plain woman was being banged instead. "Mom, I got a question, I need advice about a relationship problem."

"You have no problem, but you look like me." They were at the bedroom door, "Who you like?"

"That isn't the point," Ino was referring to the question of who she liked. It wasn't about her so she didn't need to say who she liked. She had to reach out with a hand to turn the knob to let them in. Letting go of the weight caused the older blonde to slouch forward a bit. "How did you know that dad was the right one for you? I mean how did you know he was the one you wanted to marry?"

"He wasn't, but I had an egg in the bum."

"What?" Ino stopped short knowing that the moment she placed her mother on the bed, time for talk was over. What had just been said? Did her parent just admit that her father hadn't been the right one and she had gotten married because she had been knocked up? "If you didn't think he was the one, why did you let him get you pregnant?"

"Didn't, my uncle wanted us wed so I says okay to stay my bum." The woman looked up at her child, the only one she'd been blessed with. "I knew what they will do, can say, and I protect our baby."

"I see," She got her to the edge of the mattress. Ino had always figured that their marriage might have arranged because both had been from the clan. Her mother had given up the life of a shinobi not long after becoming a jonin for some reason. From the comment, she thought it safe to assume that the pregnancy was unexpected and not by her father, unless it was the drink talking. How much of it was true? "Let me get you out of these nasty clothes."

By the time she got something clean out of the closet, her mother was already dozing off while sitting up. Ino knelt in front of her and unbuttoned the shirt, hoping to at least get the expensive blouse in the wash before it was ruined. "Why don't you tell me what you think about Mahan Uchiha?"

"Oh, I wasn't the only one, he was special and randy." The acknowledgement was given before her mother flopped backwards on the bed in just a bra.

"Great," Ino growled out knowing it would be hell getting anything on her now. Feeling like a perv, she managed to chip a nail trying to get the ruined pants down the skinny bottom that had somehow managed to become heavier than a building. It took just as long to twist the weight and get her mother underneath the covers. The snoring was worse than a man's and it was a wonder someone didn't come inspect the tremors shaking their walls. "We will discuss this in the morning, I'm going for a walk."

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The obnoxious snoring was fast getting on his nerves. Sasuke was tempted to throw something towards the blonde passed out on his couch. Whatever the Hyuuga girl had said to his former teammate had greatly affected the dobe. No one else had been privy to the conversation but from the screams coming from the other side of the door, it hadn't went well. The noise had been from the dobe, only once had they managed to catch the girl's voice. When it was over, the Hyuuga had walked out with her head held high and without looking at the rest of them. He was sure the girl hadn't wanted to dump Naruto in public but seeing as the blonde wouldn't leave when she had insisted on needing to speak to him, it was his own fault.

Sasuke adjusted the pillow beneath his head knowing he wouldn't get much sleep tonight. He should have let both of them walk home drunk. At least his pathetic excuse of a former replacement didn't snore or make crude noises. The artist had been the only one to not understand the commotion behind the closed door. It didn't take a genius to figure out that their friend was getting dumped.

He couldn't really blame the dark-haired heiress for getting rid of the dobe. Even Sai had asked if it was common for a boyfriend to devote that much attention to another while their partner was present. That Kiba had said NO, while clenching his fists. He had found it amusing to watch Naruto make an ass out of himself, without realizing that he was pissing many off in the process. Hero or not, many wouldn't overlook the wrongful treatment of one of their friends.

Seriously? Sasuke bolted out of bed when the smell hit him, then he heard the next noise. The passing of rancid gas began to fill the room, coming from the drunk blonde. It smelt strongly of burnt eggs and stale fish, what the hell did one eat to create that combination? If the dobe was the kind to get gas after indulging, this would be the last time anyone crashed at his place. Even the artist yanked the pillow to cover up his face from the scent. That was too much, he wouldn't be sleeping tonight.

He slipped the shirt back over his head and stretched his muscles. Perhaps after a walk he would be able to get some sleep. If luck was with him, the gas would have made its way through the guy's digestive system and the air would be clear. He slipped on his shoes before grabbing his weapon and exiting out of his own home.

It wasn't out of habit that he always made sure to carry his weapons with him while walking around the village. He was still on probation, which allowed him to currently do lower ranking missions, but there were many that still didn't accept that he had been allowed back with just a slap on the wrist. A lot of people thought he didn't deserve a chance to return to the village, and they were probably right. While walking these days he could see some of the things that Toby had spoken about in the people's eyes. There was still plenty of hate, prejudice, and fear on their faces whenever they spotted him. It wasn't just him alone, but it could be seen in the younger generation. A month ago he had come upon a group of children that had been picking on a single male child because he wasn't doing that well in the academy. It had reminded him of how his own class had used to pick on Naruto. By sheer luck the dobe's emotions hadn't turned down the road of hatred and resentment. The village itself bred these emotions but saw no fault in their actions when one of their shinobi went down a darker path. The place was still filled with idiots and he had two sleeping off drink in his home.

A large part of him also wished Naruto the best when it came to winning Sakura over. He appreciated his former relationship with the other male and was grateful that Naruto had wanted to see the best in him. There was also the minimal amount of care for the girl that was once part of their team. Now that the anger had passed, he could calmly examine his feelings for everyone. Sakura had grown into a reliable and exceptional kunoichi while he had been gone but he wasn't physically attracted to her. There was no stirring of lust whenever he gazed upon her and her personality was still annoying.

The pathetic way she still tried to get his attention after everything had happened, it was disturbing. In his mind there was a difference between Naruto and Sakura, the blonde male didn't have romantic notions towards him. It was the difference between friends or family, and the person you would be sharing a bed with. If a woman had tried to kill him, he wouldn't be devoted to the bitch. To him that wasn't love but an obsession, one that wasn't healthy. He had more respect for Ino since she was no longer a giggling fan following him about. It proved to him which one had matured more over the years. He didn't want a fan, he wanted someone that saw him as he was and was willing to accept him as he was. He wanted to be wanted for his good qualities, but he wanted to be loved for his faults.

What bothered him most is that he really had no idea where the infatuation or said love came from. Sure, they had been teammates for a few months but even then he had been reserved and closed off. At the age of twelve, it was near impossible to develop true love for another because people had yet to evolve into who they would be as adults and it was them as adults that made for passion and understanding. He had fled the village before they could grow up and the years between should have snuffed out any childhood crush, yet hers hadn't dulled. Then he had tried to kill her several times, but she still clung to her resolve to love him. She had accepted his apology without question and now thought they should be together. She still didn't really know him and he didn't know her enough to form a relationship on. Her claim only confirmed that it was an obsession instead of real love, because if she really loved him, then it should have broken her heart the moment he tried to take her life. A wise man once said 'Admiration is the furthest emotion from Understanding.'

Despite what Naruto and the others might want to believe, he hadn't completely forgotten or forgiven the village for its part in his brother's demise. That had been too much to put on one person, despite what his brother had wanted. He would remain for now because he would honor what his brother wanted but he couldn't guarantee how long he would be able to stay, despite his former teammate's desire for him to forgive and forget. Unlike Naruto, his family had died as a traitors to the village, while Naruto's had died as heroes. It still bothered him slightly that an entire clan had been slain because of a planned revolt. He somehow doubted that all of them were in on it and there had been innocent women and children that weren't shinobi in his clan that shouldn't have been harmed.

Thinking about it made his head ache and would only try to stir the anger that he was desperately trying to keep at bay. Getting angry wouldn't bring them back and would only cause issues for himself. If he would blame anyone, it would be the idiots that thought to turn against their village and to lead the council to order the death of his clan. There was always two sides to the story and their voices had been lost that night.

"Sasuke!" Ino called out seeing the figure walking ahead, completely lost in thought. She smiled seeing him stop and turn to wait on her, "You should be wearing a jacket this time of year. The weather is supposed to drop before morning and we might get some rain later."

"It was warm when I left the house so I didn't need one. You aren't wearing either," he pointed out seeing the kuniochi without protective clothing as well. He crossed his arms as she fell in step beside him, which he didn't mind as long as she didn't disturb his walk with useless chatter.

"I have on a sweater, not a flimsy cotton shirt that can't be at all warm." Ino was slightly chilled from the air already but didn't want to return home. She had thought to head towards the monument to spend time alone before heading back. She had to figure out what to say to her mother in the morning without causing a fight. "I was going to take a walk near the monument, want to join me?"

"Fine," he had been heading in that general direction anyways. Lately the blonde kuniochi was one of the females he didn't mind having around, she was tolerable. He had never cared much for females that were constantly talking. How the dobe would prefer Sakura over the Hyuuga heiress was beyond his comprehension. During school he had only paid enough attention to the dark haired girl to realize that she was the only one that didn't fawn over him, which made her okay in his book. They had never gotten around to speaking to each other before he had gone rogue but they had exchanged a few words since his return. The girl was always polite, direct, and didn't waste air by speaking nonsense.

Sasuke also thought the now ex was better looking. Hinata had a beautiful face, a nice body, and a sweet demeanor that was hard to find in kunoichi. Most of the ones he knew were crude, loud, and nothing ladylike in their mannerism. He knew Sakura pretended to be something she wasn't in his presence, which he didn't care for. One day he had stopped by to see Naruto and had overheard the two laughing about some prank the idiot had pulled on the aging Kakashi. The moment he had stepped inside, Naruto had boasted about his success, then Sakura had acted offended at his behavior when she had previously been accepting of it. If the girl couldn't feel free to be herself in his presence, then how could he ever come to know the real Sakura? He shouldn't have to tell her it was okay to be herself, it should come natural, but it didn't.

"So, what brings you out this late?" Ino was alright with walking in silence but the Uchiha appeared to have something on his mind, as a friend she was willing to listen if he felt up to talking about it.

"I had a drunk snoring loud enough to wake the dead in my home." Sasuke responded to the question without hesitation. He actually had two drunks in his home but only one was making it impossible to sleep. He had always been a light sleeper and the habit had gotten worse after sleeping where Orochimaru dwelled.

"You too, huh?" Ino was glad to know she wasn't the only one having to deal with idiots that drank too much. "My mother has always been a lightweight but she tends to pretend otherwise when out with her friends, two drinks and she can't walk a straight line. Who is at your place?"

"The dobe and the fool that is smitten with you," he smirked seeing her confusion and he had thought she was somewhat intelligent. "That sorry replacement artist is also at my place, having supplied enough booze to get the entire village soused."

"Oh, you're talking about Sai and we both know he isn't smitten with me or anyone else." Ino wasn't sure what made Sasuke think it was cute to suggest otherwise. She'd gone out with him, she knew when it was a lost cause, just like she knew that pursuing Sasuke would be pointless.

"I beg to differ, I grew tired of your name before they passed out." One had been bitching because he'd been dumped by someone that was 'supposed' to love him and the other was constantly asking advice on how to get said girl's attention because none of the books he read was helping. "He merely has no idea on how to express it. Good luck with that one."

"Thanks but I won't be needing it," Ino wasn't going down that route despite what Sasuke told her. Being with Sai would be complicated and she would always be at a loss on how he really felt, she didn't have it in her any longer to be that patient. She turned the conversation towards the other drunk male, "So Naruto has been drinking, something wrong?"

"Yes, he got dumped earlier and in front of all of his male friends. Which I might add he brought upon himself by not granting the girl the privacy she had been asking for."Sasuke wouldn't air his personal problems out in the open and even he had been able to tell that the girl was upset about something. That itself should have informed the girl that the relationship wasn't going anywhere. No man in their right mind would want to continue eating ramen and playing cards when their girl had come over upset.

"Good for her, I knew she had it in her." Ino was glad to hear it, shame she hadn't been there to witness it. It was would work out for the best, she was proud of Hinata for putting herself first this time.

"No doubt her confidence came from your urging." Was that the reason behind the sudden fire underneath the Hyuuga girl's ass?

"Nope, she had her own confidence, but I just had a talk with her. She was worried she was overreacting and I was honest with her. He doesn't deserve her and he's an idiot," Ino paused seeing Tenten and Lee strolling nearby deep in conversation. "Hey, can I ask you a question?"

"Haven't you been doing just that since we began walking?" He frowned hearing the chuckling from the pair not far from their position. He did note that Eyebrows stiffened seeing him walking with Ino, fury reflected back at him in the dark eyes. Another one that was saw something in the pink haired med-nin. "What is your question?"

"I should ask you to kiss me just to see how long it takes Lee to go running to his Sakura with the news." Ino laughed at the look and wasn't offended in the least. "What I'm about to ask stays between us and doesn't get repeated, I'm sure you won't mention it to anyone else. Have you ever heard of someone named Mahan Uchiha?"

"Yes, why?" Sasuke had heard the name several times from Orochimaru and also once in Toby's presence. Why was she interested in a dead shinobi from his clan? The man hadn't really been part of his clan, he'd been an outcast long before he had been born.

"I can't explain right now but I heard the name somewhere, twice actually and I wanted to know who he was." Ino saw that wasn't going to cut it, "Okay, my mother seems to have known him and she admitted it while she was drunk. My interest is personal so can you tell me what you know?"

"He was banished from the clan years before I was born. Some rumored that he was the son of Madara, others said he was merely resembled the man. Not much is known about him, except he argued with the third in his youth, then he disappeared. Orochimaru believed him to still be alive, while others knew him to have been slain by our clan. As far as his personality, skills, and any personal information, I cannot help you, besides telling you that it was said he took an unknown wife. How does your mother know him?"

"I think she fucked him," Ino crossed her arms behind her back as they continued their walk. "I probably shouldn't tell you that but not like it matters now. It is in her past but I was shocked when she knew the man and sober she probably would never admit to it. It's no big deal if she slept with someone, she was young once."

"You think or you know?" Sasuke knew that Orochimaru had once searched for the man himself, in the hopes of obtaining his body. That was before he had turned his attentions on Itachi's younger sibling. That meant the missing-nin must have been powerful or perhaps the snake-like bastard had simply hoped for the rumors of the shinobi being related to Madara were well-founded.

"She more or less implied it," and more but Ino wasn't ready to tell anyone that. She had merely asked out of curiosity because the dream had stirred up old doubts and memories. To hear her mother admit that she had gotten married because she was pregnant, knocked up for someone that wasn't her own father. But wasn't it her own father? Her mother had never had another child so wasn't she that unplanned pregnancy? Or had her mother lost it and then had another child for Inoichi?

"What she said is bothering you, why?" Sasuke didn't think Ino would condemn her own mother for being intimate with someone from his lost clan. That didn't make sense but the frown wasn't because Lee had taken to trailing behind them. The suggestion of kissing was looking more tempting the longer the fool followed behind, trying to be discreet.

"It is complicated and I'm not ready to talk about it, but if I do, you'll be the first one I come to." Ino knew he wouldn't condemn her if she somehow found out that she had been sired by another man. Before saying anything, she wanted to confront her mother for the truth of the words spoken so freely tonight. "Wanna be nice and walk me home? We could be really creative and hold hands, just to give him something to report back to Sakura."

"It would be futile, she still wouldn't give up, and it would cause unneeded distress for you." Sasuke did however agree to walk her home despite the commotion it might cause when the gossip reached the ears of others. He could only imagine what would be said in the morning when it was reported that he had been caught out late walking with Ino.

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Where was she? Hinata panicked seeing nothing but darkness in front of her eyes. They were open but she could make out nothing in the darkness. How had she gotten here? What was that smell? Why wasn't she in her room? After a stressful dinner with her family, she had gone to bed immediately after taking a bath. How could she wake up elsewhere?

"Allow me to make it easier," the voice spoke from nearby, male and deep.

"Who is there?" She spun in the direction of the voice as the flame came to light. Standing two feet in front of her was an elderly man. Her first instinct was to move away from the person, he looked very similar to Madara Uchiha, except for the nose. "Where am I?"

"In my state I may only conjure up the last two places I looked upon before my death." Mahan let his gaze linger over the beautiful girl, the one he had most wanted to see before his demise. "If you want the answer to that, you will have to follow."

"Am I dreaming?" Something was off with this place, it felt like a dream. No one had a reason to kidnap her, unless it was by mistake. The council was still considering Hinabi for the position of heir, she wasn't a valuable hostage. But if she were a hostage, why allow her arms and legs to go unbound?

"Yes, and no, come with me." Mahan didn't want to frighten her by reaching out. She too looked a lot like her mother. He could see so much of his beloved in her face, if he were alive it might have pained him to look upon her.

"Okay," since it was a dream and the man wasn't attacking, it was better than being left in the dark. Hinata trailed behind in the narrow hallway. It wasn't really a hallway but it reminded her of the cave system that could be found in the mountain. Had she been taken to the monument without realizing it? Or did she dream herself in this place?

The man brought her to dead end, one marked only by the Uchiha symbol engraved in the stone. This had to be a dream because in all her years as a child and teenager, she never knew there to be a hidden door inside the mountain. Did that mean this dream man was to represent one of the Uchiha? Why would she be dreaming of them? It wasn't her clan and she didn't know any of them. She wasn't at all close to Sasuke, "Where are you taking me?"

"To where I rest," he opened the door, allowing them to go through. In reality it took blood to open the seal, "Step inside so we may speak freely."

She wasn't sure if she wanted to go where this man lived. There was no going back and there was more light inside the nearby room. Inside there was nothing but a desk, a chair, and a book shelf. There was no bed so where did the man sleep? "Who are you?"

"My name is Mahan Uchiha," he knew that there would be no easy way to accomplish what had been set into motion. If he was here then it meant that both children had reached the age of eighteen and the seal was to be broken. "And if I am finally here then you will understand the truth the moment you wake."

"What truth?" Was he referring to her relationship with Naruto? She had already accepted that and that was the reason she had ended things with him. She had thought it would hurt worse but she felt more relieved now that it was over. She wanted to give him the chance to find love, even if it wasn't with her.

"I did my best to protect you," he took a seat in the chair. "I do not have the time to explain everything here but I will give you the means to learn the truth of who I am. Your seal shall be removed first and I leave you with one important message to take with you. In the right eye of my enemy, lies where I rest, find it and fulfill your father's legacy."

What did that mean? What did her father want from her? If he wanted something then he would tell her when she was awake, wouldn't he? The only thing her father wanted from her was to be the best she could be, he was happy as things were now. The soft touch of fingers on her forehead brought her attention back to the man that was still in the room.

"Wake and remember, I shall be waiting."

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"Get up, Hinata!" Hinabi's voice was screaming through the open crack of the bedroom door before it slid shut with a bang.

"I'm up," she was up now and she felt horrible. Her eyes were icky from crying before going to sleep. They felt chafed and irritated beyond belief, they were burning painfully. She shouldn't have stayed up half the night worrying over how the others would react to the things she had said.

It was all Naruto's fault for not even being able to reassure her that she was seeing things. When it came down to it, the blonde hadn't been able to say that he no longer loved Sakura. It would be openly denouncing his feelings for the other girl, and he wasn't the type of person to do so wrongly. She had completely accepted that it was over in that moment.

Her vision was blurry, making it hard to change clothes and head to the bathroom. No one was out in the hallway to stop her or to speak about the morning being a good one. The lock was slid in place to give her some privacy to do her business. Her bladder was pinching from holding it for too long. What time was it? It had to be late if Hinabi had been sent to fetch her.

After cleaning up, she went to the basin to fix her breath and to wash the gunk from her eyes. She hissed because she foolishly stuck her fingers beneath the spray without waiting, it was scalding. It took a moment for the cold to kick in strong enough to keep her eyeballs from being boiled in their sockets.

Hinata groaned at how good it felt to wash the night from her face. The refreshing water helped to wake her up and to possibly do something about her hair. Without looking up, she opened the medicine cabinet to find something to take for the pain in her head. The pill was swallowed with some tap water and she located one of Hinabi's large scrunchy bows on the counter. Her sister had once said she could feel free to use them if she wished. The brush was quickly yanked through her hair and the long tresses were pulled back out of her face, leaving only her bangs and some side hair down. That would keep it out of her face for the day, she was supposed to help train today.

She slammed the cabinet shut, to give herself one last look to make sure she was presentable. The mirror image didn't change, no matter how long she stared at it. Bringing her fist up to rub the area did nothing to get rid of the effect. What the hell was wrong with her left eye?

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