Mukūrō

"I feed on the hope of chakra-filled people like you. How does it taste? Absolutely delicious!"

- Mukūrō to an unnamed opponent.

Mukūrō (無食狼, Mukūrō) is a highly dangerous element within the world of. Mukūrō holds an immensely dangerous regarded as the Curse of the Wallowing Vulture, forcing him to passively absorb chakra from the environment. Due to his power being recognized from his encounters with Arien and Kazuhide, the authorities eventually realized the potential harm in leaving him unsupervised.

He was later assigned to Team Mukūrō, who were relocated to Hōzuki Castle, with Mukūrō as its Master (主, Aruji). Nevertheless, he is a great asset to the, specifically due to the virtual invulnerability that the Hōzuki Castle now possesses — following the death of — due to his presence. The nature of his abilities, as well as his ghastly appearance, have aptly caused rumors to be spread of a Pale Ghost (蒼白の幽霊, Sōhaku no Yūrei) within the prison, deterring both intrusions and breakouts alike, given the anonymity behind his identity.

Personality
Mukūrō was an individual who didn't grow up in the most conventional manner. His parents died upon his birth, the society he lived in feared him and he was kept locked up and isolated from almost all human contact for several years. Realistically, Mukūrō should be completely incapable of being the person he is right now. For in the present, Mukūrō is an amiable man with ambitions to rise from the pits that caused him to be regarded as a demon, without sacrificing his own abilities and traits in the process of doing so. In truth, Mukūrō is an individual who aims to validate his existence through the sincerity of his actions, this being one of the primary reasons why he abides by the suspicion that the have tacked upon him, for if he were to rebel against the trust that they placed upon him, his identity would possess no retribution.


 * More Coming Soon...

Appearance


To the man regarded as the Pale Ghost, an appearance associated with humanity is far beneath him. He is an entity well and truly recognized under the echelon of the supernatural. With the power that he expresses in every confrontation, the nihility within his expression and the ornaments he has gathered through battle, one would have a hard time believing that the name Mukūrō truly belonged to a human, a.

Mukūrō is an individual whose appearance can be best described as ethereal. It was as if he was born to defy all standards known to the common man. The most apparent visualization of his reputation as a ghost comes from his skin tone. Mukūrō, upon observation, possesses a skin color that can accurately be summarized as the shade 'gray.' When reflecting the luminosity of the sunlight, it becomes even closer to white than it already is, immediately arousing fear within weaker opponents. Given the man's height and almost skeletal figure, many find it a physical impossibility that Mukūrō can fight on the same plane as Shinobi, although they make a fatal mistake in believing this. Another distinct feature associated with Mukūrō are his eyes. A bright green in their color, they represent everything that Mukūrō isn't: natural and eternal. His eyes appear almost as if they were an aberration, forced onto Mukūrō's body as nothing more than a mockery of what Mukūrō exists as. They instinctively bring fear into the hearts of his opponents, while also making them pity him, for the results of early suppression through unsuccessful seals have permanently engraved his face with similarly colored tattoos, yet their shape - that of a tear strolling down his cheeks - do nothing more than highlight the sorrow of his situation. Yet among his facial features there exists one that truthfully represents the man: the obsidian of his hair. It frames his face, contradicting his ghost-like appearance and bringing the man down to earth. Outside of his traits, Mukūrō possesses a bone-forged helmet, with a horn-like appendage extending out of it, hence associating him even further with demon-like creatures.

Recently, the demonic individual has taken it upon himself to appear more "humane" when meeting individuals for the first time. Given that his appearance is so distinct, primarily due to his pale skin and the bone structure atop his head, Mukūrō applies the Transformation Technique — sustained by the chakra he absorbs — to make himself appear similar to his younger self, prior to the full effects of the curse impacting his body. Mukūrō's skin is shown to be much healthier, with a visible tan rather than the ghastly complexion he holds normally. Moreover, his hair also grows out longer, with no visible helmet occupying space, thus enabling him to tie it in a simple ponytail. In terms of attire, Mukūrō changes to what appears to be a conventional 's clothing. He wears a simple, dark green and  along with a white  over his waist. Over the entirety of his outfit is a simple, dark blue. As accessories, he seems to favor a pair of armguards with meshed netting, in addition to a simple pair of grey and  for footwear.



Chapter Listing

 * Tengetsu Games: Heiwa Uchiha vs Mukūrō

Family and Friends
Mamori (マモリ, Mamori)

Yazen (蛇禅, Yazen)

Team Mukūrō
Hiki (氷木, Hiki)

Rikō (履行, Rikō)

Nobu and Nori (野葡海苔, Nobunori)

Winged Mirages
Kazuhide (カズヒデ, Kazuhide) is Mukūrō's first proper mentor and one of his closest friends, not to mention one of the few acquaintances he has outside of the Hōzuki Castle. Mukūrō respects Kazuhide significantly more than he does other individuals, particularly other members of the Uchiha Clan. In fact, it has become a prerequisite standard for any Uchiha to be as skillful as Kazuhide in order to get Mukūrō's so-called approval as an Uchiha combatant. Besides this, Mukūrō inherently trusts Kazuhide's judgement on most matters and can rely on him in thick or thin, even thinking of his — sparingly given — hints and tips that were given to Mukūrō during their training. Outside of combat, should Mukūrō have the opportunity, he discusses literature with the Uchiha. While not so much of an avid reader when it comes to most battle tactics, techniques and the like, Mukūrō enjoys conversations regarding Kenjutsu and different applications of chakra control. He often also makes light of Zenjou's imperialistic nature when Kazuhide is around, ganging up on the younger member of the Winged Mirages for no other reason than to bring out humor.

Zenjou (禅譲, Zenjō) is one of Mukūrō's stranger acquaintances, although the statement goes both ways. Zenjou and Mukūrō first met, technically, while Zenjou was conducting an assassination on behalf of the Nanabake under the guise of Yamada Asaemon. The fearsome battle left Mukūrō with a permanent scar, something he thought only Kazuhide was capable of inflicting. Afterwards, Zenjou — in his real form — approached the man while he was guarding the prison. Both immediately recognized one another and started off rather rocky. However, their frequent encounters, in addition to the formation of the Winged Mirages, lead to a rather interesting friendship. Mukūrō often pokes fun of Zenjou, who in return calls him a Thief. Likewise, they both seem to have the mutual habit of falling asleep when they're terribly bored, given their rather lacking attention span. Due to this, and Zenjou's emperor-like demeanor, he often lies on Mukūrō's lap. In combat, however, the duo are rather fearsome despite their separate skills, trusting each other implicitly in combat. In a similar vein to Kazuhide's own status in Mukūrō's eyes, the man believes that any Kaguya Clan member whose power and skill does not match the standards of Zenjou is unworthy of his full power.

Abilities
Mukūrō is an individual whom, based on his attributes, would never be considered at the same plateau as individuals regarded as a would be. However, Mukūrō has long gone and broken through the supposed shell that causes one to border between strength and power, to the point where even his lack of experience and diversity within skills still enables him to stand on level-playing field with the likes of Kazuhide and Zenjou, fighting the latter to a stalemate — albeit while he was under his alternate persona. If anything, his immediate escalation into — a feat that almost never occurs in Shinobi history — is proof of his overwhelming skill. Moreover, the fact that he single-handedly is in charge of completely protecting the Hōzuki Castle, despite the difficulties to do so by  and even the, all as a means to imprison him, truly deserves praise.

Curse of the Wallowing Vulture


The Curse of the Wallowing Vulture (貪る禿鷲の呪い, Musaboru Hagewashi no Noroi), incorrectly dubbed Dark Release (冥遁, Meiton) by those who view it, is a whose very origins are descended from the incredible progenitor of chakra —. The chakra that Kaguya had so violently released onto her so-called garden in order to seize her "rightful" power from her sons eventually seeped into the very essence of the world. It reforged entire landscapes and caused the environment to become a chaotic patchwork of the elements, hence why the continent is split into the, among others. There were some areas, however, that felt the impact greater than others. One of these areas was the — Mukūrō's birthplace — and the true reason for his acquisition of such a fearsome curse. While initially revoked as a demonic entity with no power other than to take the lives of others indiscriminately, Mukūrō, over the course of his interactions and experiences with certain notable individuals, has advanced his control so significantly that his power is on the plateau of a. This is most evident by him having fully bypassed the conventional Shinobi ranking system and immediately being promoted to a. However, the most significant indications to his prowess would be his current position as the Master of the Hōzuki Castle, as well as the man's involvement with the Winged Mirages as the Voracious Vulture (飽食禿鷲, Hōshoku Hagewashi), all of this being possible despite his career as a Shinobi being active for a decade at best, clearly an example of the magnitude of his abilities, all of which being derived from his once life-threatening curse.

The curse's abilities are quite simplistic when explained: the passive absorption of chakra. Due to its effectiveness bordering on superhuman levels, it is often times compared to the 's, although it is slightly different in its fundamentals. This is particularly because of the curse forcing the afflicted individual's body to undergo detrimental morphological changes. These changes have reduced Mukūrō's base physical capabilities to the point where the only reason his status as a has not been refuted as-of-yet is because of his incredible prowess in chakra control. Nevertheless, the most basic ability of the Curse of the Wallowing Vulture is chakra absorption, specifically, passive chakra absorption within a defined radius. This passive absorption, evidently, requires a considerable level of control in order to not cause unwanted side-effects on Mukūrō's being, particularly induced from foreign elements such as chakra and chakra-targeting. Mukūrō has achieved this through the integration of a unique around his being by the name of Cursed Seal of Reflection. Granted to him within, Mukūrō has managed to completely dominate the capabilities of the seal. He can choose to activate it at any scale with nothing more than a simple hand sign, often times using it to block off access to his convoluted chakra network, or even completely open its absorption pathways as to fully immerse in foreign energy sources.

Mukūrō has shown to be exceptionally intelligent and precise when it comes to the rate and quantity of his chakra absorption. He has demonstrated excellent skill in controlling this output, using only simple movements executed by various limbs in order to direct, amplify or even adjust the current absorbed by him. The sheer accuracy that these movements provide to Mukūrō's base chakra absorption capabilities is staggering...
 * More Coming Soon...

Body Flicker Technique
Mukūrō is not a conventional by any means, but in particular, the nature of his abilities and specializations differ from a common Shinobi significantly. This is particularly notable with his focus on the Body Flicker Technique. Mukūrō's first true "battle", which occurred against Arien, forced him to observe and rapidly adapt to the use of high speeds within battle, thus making the Body Flicker Technique his so-called introduction to the fighting style of a Shinobi. This would later be cemented through Kazuhide's initial teachings to Mukūrō regarding chakra control, where the Uchiha observed that Mukūrō's mimicry was flawless, but the actual execution was sorely lacking in control, that is, until Mukūrō caught the nuances in the ways one actually operates their and made use of it to full effect.

Mukūrō's Body Flicker Technique (瞬身の術, Shunshin no Jutsu), as implied from several statements, is by far his signature attribute within combat and the only form of Ninjutsu he has truthfully mastered. In terms of pure speed, Mukūrō's overall velocity is comparable to — if not entirely surpassing — the likes of. In addition, supplementary techniques such as Lightning Release Chakra Mode and Flying Thunder God Technique can also be tracked by Mukūrō's physical and sensory prowess, making almost all forms of high-speed movement advantages void against his prowess. He is capable of transporting from his chambers to anywhere within the Hōzuki Castle within a moment, the accuracy of his destination refined through his sensory prowess. His speed is such that he has no need to use smoke to cover up his tracks, for even a step allows him to disappear from the sight of conventional opponents, with only those that possess the Sharingan at its most mature phase being able to follow him, if only barely. Upon using the technique, Mukūrō's image flickers in front of an opponent momentarily before he disappears from sight, reappearing once again in a similar manner. However, the sheer speed involved in this process causes individuals to mistake the technique's employment as a localized variant of teleportation, though this isn't the case. Moreover, due to Mukūrō's impeccable control over his own chakra, he can adjust the quality and quantity of chakra he is using while employing the technique, thus strengthening the overall impact each consecutive use of his Body Flicker may possess. At the lower end of this scale, he can perform the technique with reduced speed, but absolute silence — an ideal situation for an assassination. On the other end of the spectrum, Mukūrō can rapidly increase both the speed and resulting force of the impact from the Body Flicker Technique onto the environment, causing even individual steps to form small craters in the ground from the sheer impact gathered through the momentum in his movement, an application he learned from Kazuhide directly.

Later on in his training, Mukūrō would identify the associated weaknesses with conventional movement through the technique. In particular, he regarded the one-step-one-action form to be almost useless in high-speed combat exchanges, especially against individuals who used Space–Time Ninjutsu or similar techniques. As such, he managed to conserve the quantity of chakra used within each step, thus enable him to, in a similar vein to an advanced chakra control technique, propel himself despite the lack of a foothold within the air. By refining the quantity of chakra he uses in each step even further, he can make use of several rotations within a single use of Body Flicker, advancing through an opponent's possible defenses with such ease that by the time they can potentially react, it is far too late for them to do so. Due to the advancements Mukūrō has made within this specific technique, it is his go-to approach within combat. When used in conjunction with both his swordsmanship and long-range alternatives, he becomes an almost impossible opponent to react against.

Due to the physical constraints that have been placed upon Mukūrō as a result of his curse, he had often lamented on his inability to competently engage in close combat, quickly running out of stamina or simply incapable of dealing enough damage to conclusively finish a battle. This would be a major problem in his fights against conventional Shinobi, where he was cornered several times on his initial expeditions across the world. However, this would change following his advents in chakra control and witnessing the capability to derive physical skills from basic, but precise application. He managed to achieve the level of strength commonly acquired by   using much more basic principles in comparison to the idea of Chakra Enhanced Strength. As one knows, the function of the Body Flicker's revitalization of the individual's chakra before focusing it on the legs is for movement purposes. Mukūrō fundamentally alters this purpose to his own needs by transferring this revitalized chakra to a different part of the body. In his case, given his preference to engage in Kenjutsu, it is commonly transferred to his arms. This enables him to engage in high-speed physical engagements with little to no effort, while additionally increasing the momentum behind his attacks significantly, ultimately overpowering enemies with what externally appears as raw brute force. Yet, much to their chagrin, they would find that Mukūrō is capable of repeated, precise use of this force in multiple avenues of combat to ultimately overwhelm any defensive techniques without exerting even the slightest amount of additional effort in his strikes.

Perhaps the greatest addition to the Body Flicker Technique made by Mukūrō was the addition of his Curse of the Wallowing Vulture into its basic principles. As almost every elementary Shinobi knows, the revitalization of chakra within the body expends it rather quickly, leaving the Body Flicker Technique to be a controlled technique used only in short bursts. However, to those who use chakra as a form of feeding, such as Mukūrō, such constraints are considered to be irrelevant. Through using his curse's naturally ability to absorb chakra as well as his masterful ability to constantly reorient his position using Glide, Mukūrō has managed to devise an application of Body Flicker regarded as Tempest. Tempest is a technique achieved by using the excess of the chakra Mukūrō has absorbed as a shroud around his being, with the said chakra constantly rotating in an anti-clockwise direction through being involved in the absorption process. Due to the speed of this rotation in tandem with the levels of speed achieved by Mukūrō, the shroud enables Mukūrō to almost act as a drill of sorts as he moves, rendering the environment and all opposition null in the face of his overwhelming offensive power. To add onto this, Mukūrō can increase the raw destructive power of this technique via the addition of his chakra pulses, managing to release shockwaves of chakra at regular intervals to both disable almost any offense against Mukūrō but also simultaneously increase the damage he inflicts at any point in time. As an extension of this technique, Mukūrō can apply the same shrouding and pulsing principles to an afterimage produced by the speed of his movement. Although in this particular case, the chakra which he shrouds around his being experiences a form of lag, detaching itself from Mukūrō's being before combusting through a sudden pulsation, normally causing a large distraction for the enemy, or even quickly dispatching of weak opponent while diverting a stronger threat's attention.

Certainly, if one were to take these feats and account them to the notorious battles he has had against opponents of great caliber, they would understand that Mukūrō's usage of such a simplistic technique has gone above and beyond the expectation of almost any Shinobi known to man. After all, no Shinobi would realistically limit themselves to the enhancement and refinement of a technique that they hardly make use of in practical situations. But to a man of Mukūrō's intelligence and desperation, such luxuries cannot be found. Capitalizing on all the opportunities he can grasp, Mukūrō's growth within these common arts of a Shinobi can, realistically, only be attributed to the prodigal characteristics associated with a genius — in the case of Mukūrō, a demon.

Kenjutsu
Mukūrō is an individual who specializes within Kenjutsu, employing it as his primary method of combat above all other alternatives. Remarkably, Mukūrō's swordsmanship seems to reflect the style utilized by both Samurai and sword-wielding from villages such as  or. This would later be attributed to his mimicry of over a dozen styles of swordsmanship, among these being the styles employed by Arien, Kazuhide and Rikō. Due to his incredible eidetic and muscle memory, Mukūrō has managed to adopt and simultaneously overcome almost all forms of Kenjutsu he has encountered within his short career as a Shinobi, quickly proving himself to be extraordinarily skilled within the art. The most distinct characteristic regarding Mukūrō's swordsmanship lies in his amalgamation of a variety of forms, stances, movements and the like through his observation of other Kenjutsu practitioners over a significant period of time. Accordingly so, Mukūrō's fighting style can be accurately summarized as an patchwork of individual styles, combined to fit any situation that Mukūrō encounters within his battles. While the style has been given no official name, Hiki initially referred to it as Satori Garyū (悟り我流, Self-Taught Style of Comprehension), a name which Mukūrō later adopted due to his fondness for it.

As the name implies, Mukūrō does not constrict himself to any particular form or ideology when it comes to the sword. The sword only exists as a tool for the betterment of his combative self, enabling him to break away from the constant absorption and release of chakra. In terms of its technical implications, it has various. What is most evident about Mukūrō's fighting style is its lack of commitment to any particular rhythm (合気, aiki; Literally meaning "Joining Spirit"). As any practitioner of a martial art would understand, all physical combat styles possess a certain rhythm that the style centralizes around, this particular rhythm dictating the type, speed, strength and timing of any maneuvers that are executed by the individual. Due to Mukūrō's amalgamation of so many physical styles, however, tracking the subtle shifts in rhythm from one style to another is considered next-to-impossible. Moreover, it is also this reason that enables him to have a cutting edge against even expert swordsmen, for their stable rhythms can be exploited should they not possess the talent to quickly subvert a singular pattern in favor for greater variability. While not consciously expressed in Mukūrō's statements or thoughts, he understands the essence behind this idea extremely well and constantly turns it to his advantage within battle, even if it should not initially be in his favor.

The actual motions and techniques that Mukūrō regularly utilizes can, however, all be attributed back to the root of all modern-day swordsmanship: speed and accuracy. In addition to this, Mukūrō's inability to abide by a single discipline and surplus of free time enables him to quite easily incorporate the idea of finesse into his swordsmanship, thus making all of his techniques that much more efficient. Mukūrō is regularly on the offensive due to the incredible inconsistency of his rhythm, as well as his speed. This offensive, however, does not have him actively seeking out an opponent unless he is in group situations. After all, he unconsciously deliberates the perfect timing for his attacks by applying the Interval concept to his swordsmanship. While this particular concept is often found solely within Iaidō-central techniques, Mukūrō appears to generalize it towards all facets of his swordsmanship. The spontaneity of his attacks before his sudden retraction also demonstrates incredible control over his body and his sword, as if he were treating it as an extension of his own being. He can fluidly change the grip of his sword, transition from slash to pierce or even make use of complex defensive motions with little effort on his part. The fluidity of his techniques quickly pressures his opponents to retreat, particularly when Mukūrō begins to actively employ his Iaidō skills.

His Iaidō, inherited from his fight with Arien, is extremely pronounced. His drawing speed is advanced enough to counteract instantaneous slashes from Kazuhide, albeit part of this speed is also associated with the nature of Nakizura's construction. Nevertheless, he is quietly able to draw, slash and subsequently sheath his sword to the point where most forgo the possibility that he is actively drawing the blade. When used in tandem with the momentum provided by his Body Flicker, he can quietly eliminate even the strongest of enemies should he get the chance to do so. Given that all these offensive feats are associated with Mukūrō's innate understanding and mastery over the application of his optimal range within combat, it can be inferred that he can use the same principle defensively. This is very true, especially when facing users of weaponry. The technique that comes into mind when considering Mukūrō's defensive prowess is Shifting Snake. Through the neutrality that is associated with his attacks only being used within his optimal range, Mukūrō's reaction timing enables him to shift in the most appropriate manner and the most appropriate distance to react to any armed or unarmed assault, subsequently inching forward through an almost unstable zigzag-like pattern, quickly moving within the opponent's defenseless zone and simultaneously cutting them down. Besides his initiative defense, Mukūrō is also well-versed in standard defensive maneuvers, although consistently being pinned down is detrimental for him given that he cannot adapt as quickly. Should an opponent understand this, capitalizing on it could mean Mukūrō's loss or, even worse, death.

Mukūrō's true skill within Kenjutsu, like almost all modern practitioners, does not solely arrive from abiding by the technical forms and styles available to him. These are physical elements which, while Mukūrō has capitalized upon due to personal interest and necessity, aren't his greatest asset in combat against truly powerful opponents. Given that his curse emphasizes chakra absorption and control, it is the basis of the true level of skill Mukūrō possesses within Kenjutsu or, in this case, chakra-based Kenjutsu. While most individuals make use of average chakra flow in their blades, Mukūrō has, under the assistance of Kazuhide, undergone training within the Aura Shell variant of this particular technique. It is a technique which focuses chakra inside of, and around the weapon in question, drastically enhancing its durability all while the visible effects of the said chakra remain unseen. This enables him to swathe through average weapons with ease, cut through steel and other alloys with little effort and even hold his own against weapons that derive their strengths from a conceptual basis due to the density of chakra he packs into the weapon. This process has become internalized within Mukūrō and is in fact one of the outlets to the absorbed chakra he has within his body. An additional, albeit unintentional, factor of the Aura Shell employed by Mukūrō is that it acts as lubrication for the blade, thus increasing its speed to mind-blowing levels, with most of his slashes appearing as streaks of dark light to the common eye, if anything else. Moreover, he can apply this same durability with greater destructive potential. Upon his blade making contact with a material, he can overload its molecular structure with chakra upon contact and cause it to simultaneously vibrate at great speeds, almost certainly causing the object's destruction unless the material was of a pristine quality, or enhanced by chakra itself. This is also applicable towards chakra-based constructs, such as elemental techniques or even chakra-founded projectiles. The interaction between Mukūrō's oscillating and destructive chakra, when met with stability, causes the said stability to be dispersed and thus making the overall assault useless; ironically, this simultaneously assists Mukūrō in the absorption of the chakra, making it a very useful technique.

All being said and done, Mukūrō is not a "true" swordsman. He possesses no guiding philosophy, extremely limited formal training and very little true knowledge in stances, forms and technique. But what guides him is his inquiring personality, his desperation to grow beyond the misconceived notions of a Demon and temper himself into a human. He has taken upon the blade believing it to be a trait of humanity's powerful, which he yearns to become as he associates further with individuals of such power. As a man whose only goal is to destroy the aura of a Demon, being tempered by a blade of steel is perhaps his only avenue of doing so, even if that blade is not his own.

Quotes

 * (Signature Saying) "I feed on the hope of chakra-filled people like you. How does it taste? Absolutely delicious!"
 * (To Arien) "You...you are strong. I must validate my powers...these demonic powers...against you!"
 * (To Kazuhide and Akiya) "Thank you...for giving me this enlightenment. For making me from a Demon...to a Human."
 * (Introducing himself to Team Mukūrō) "Normally I'd be the one showing you around the ropes, but...I have no idea what I'm doing? Sorry, not really a good Jōnin am I?"
 * (To rioters within Hōzuki Castle) "If you wanna visit a prisoner, can't you just go through the formal procedures? What happened to following the law?"
 * (To Hiduki) "Demon, huh? Don't think you have a monopoly over the title, Miss Waterworks."
 * (To Yamada Asaemon) "Who are you? Shinigami of the grave robbers?"
 * (To Zenjou) "A thief? What did I steal? The chakra that you discarded from your body? But admittedly...you're the only house I've stolen from that has an alarm."
 * (To Kazuhide and Zenjou) "Oh, it's Kazuhide-san! Wait, why are you with Zenjou-san? And why are you causing a riot?"
 * (Regarding Zenjou to Kazuhide) "You know...ambushing people with arrows isn't a nice thing to do, Kazuhide-san."

Creation and Conception
Mukūrō's concept was devised by the author after deliberating how to integrate the concept of Dark Release into a character while also making it a feasible Kekkei Genkai that doesn't seem to simply stack on abilities onto a wielder. The idea of the Curse of the Wallowing Vulture was eventually conceived and at that point, the use of Ulquiorra Cifer from  as an image source just seemed to fit the author's intentions.