"Who are you?"
The middle-aged man lifted his hood, revealing his full face.
Aside from the enormous Roman numeral III carved into his cheek, he had white hair and a white beard—though his hair only grew on the very top of his head, leaving the rest completely bald.
This man was Boro, an Inner Circle member of Kara. Because "the Vessel" was of extreme importance to the organization, Boro had personally come to retrieve it.
Earlier, he had already sensed that someone was watching him—thanks to the advanced scientific tools embedded in his body. At first, he assumed it was just routine surveillance from the Sarutobi Clan, within whose territory he was operating, and didn't take it seriously.
But once he left the Sarutobi domain, the surveillance continued. Realizing the watcher wasn't friendly, Boro decided to strike first.
"You actually detected my surveillance?"
Spore Clone No. 1 looked at Boro in surprise. This man was clearly no ordinary foe.
To investigate the forces behind the black market, the clone had been lying in wait near the Sarutobi village—watching for whoever would come to collect the "Vessels" the four Sarutobi families had gathered.
After several days, his patience paid off: someone from the black market's organization appeared. But what he hadn't expected was to be exposed.
The Mayfly Technique he used possessed such exceptional stealth that even Kage-level ninja found it hard to detect. For this man to notice him meant only one thing—this enemy was on a different level.
"So you won't talk? Fine. I'll capture you and make you talk."
Boro stomped heavily on the ground, leaving a shallow crater beneath his feet. His scientifically enhanced body, stronger than that of most Kage-level shinobi, lunged forward like a tank, his massive fist swinging straight toward the spore clone.
---
"Susanoo!"
Even with the advanced perception of the Mangekyō Sharingan, the spore clone's taijutsu could only reach that of an elite jōnin. Since close combat wasn't his specialty, he naturally chose not to engage Boro head-on.
He summoned Susanoo—a colossal purple skeletal arm rose to block the charging Boro.
Boom!
The two fists collided, one massive, one small. A moment later, Boro stumbled backward, his face grimacing.
Despite his augmented strength, even he couldn't match the raw power of Susanoo. His hand and part of his arm were crushed into pulp—completely destroyed.
"Susanoo… So, you're from the Uchiha clan. You're not the Fifth Hokage, Uchiha Fugaku—then that makes you… Uchiha Shisui."
Though heavily injured, Boro's face remained eerily calm as he analyzed the masked man's identity.
Then, to Shisui's shock, Boro's ruined arm began to writhe, sprouting new flesh like regenerating tissue—until the limb had fully reformed.
"Regeneration? He can regrow lost limbs…"
The spore clone's eyes widened. A regeneration ability that strong was beyond reason.
"Lava Release: Scorching Star Break!"
Boro quickly formed hand seals and spat a torrent of acidic fluid, like a high-pressure cannon, straight at Susanoo.
Sizzle—!
As the acid splashed onto Susanoo, white smoke rose. The armored giant began to melt.
"The power rivals the Fifth Mizukage's Lava Release," the clone thought in astonishment.
Not only could this man regenerate—he also wielded a devastating elemental technique. If this continued, even Susanoo's mighty defense would be corroded through.
---
With a sharp motion, the spore clone's Susanoo conjured a massive purple bow, and loosed a glowing arrow faster than sound.
Thud!
The arrow pierced straight through Boro's chest, blowing a gaping hole where his heart should be.
But even with his heart destroyed, Boro didn't die. The flesh around the hole writhed and filled in again—his body completely restored.
---
"Lava Release: Scorching Star Break!"
This time, the acid erupted from beneath Shisui's feet—an attack aimed at Susanoo's blind spot.
The clone noticed the anomaly just in time to dodge, though a splash of acid still caught him. His clothing burned away, and his skin blistered in agony.
---
"Amaterasu!"
Realizing Susanoo's weakness had been exposed, the clone dispelled it and locked eyes on Boro.
A burst of black flames engulfed the man completely.
"Water Release: Great Waterfall Technique!"
Boro immediately summoned torrents of water, trying to extinguish the flames. But Amaterasu was unrelenting—its black fire clung to him, burning through flesh faster than his regeneration could keep up.
His massive body began to shrink and wither, the smell of charred flesh filling the air.
"Hah!"
Just as he was about to be completely consumed, Boro did something shocking—he tore open his own abdomen with his bare hands.
A mass of unburned flesh burst forth, detached from the burning body, and rapidly grew into a new Boro, while the original body disintegrated into ash.
"He can revive… from a single piece of flesh?"
The clone's pupils contracted. Not even Orochimaru's regeneration could match this level of horror.
---
"Impressive flames," Boro sneered. "But unfortunately for you… I can't be killed."
Dark mist began to seep from his body and drift toward the clone.
"This is a virus," the clone realized instantly with his Mangekyō Sharingan—seeing the microscopic pathogens swirling in the black fog.
He countered with Amaterasu again, burning away the deadly mist before it could reach him.
But Boro launched another Lava Release attack, acid spraying up from below once more. The clone dodged, but some acid hit him, leaving deep, corroded wounds.
---
"So you can't die, huh?"
The spore clone frowned. He didn't believe that. Even the strongest enemies had weaknesses.
Scanning Boro's body inch by inch with the Mangekyō Sharingan, he finally spotted something—a spherical core of chakra moving inside Boro's body.
---
"Susanoo!"
The purple bow appeared once more. The clone loosed another arrow—this time aimed directly at that mysterious core.
Boom!
The arrow pierced straight through Boro, shattering the sphere within him.
Boro let out a monstrous roar as his body began to twist and expand, his hair and beard growing wild, his legs splitting into six tentacles.
He charged like a beast—but when the clone struck back with Susanoo's fist, Boro was hurled backward, his arm torn off again.
This time, it didn't regenerate.
---
"His regeneration is gone!"
Realizing the destroyed sphere had been the source of Boro's power, the clone dismissed Susanoo and cast Amaterasu once more.
Black flames roared over Boro's body.
He screamed, thrashing madly, his monstrous form collapsing into ash.
When it was over, nothing remained but a smoldering patch of black fire, flickering silently where Boro once stood.
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