In the hidden labs of Orochimaru, the air was thick with the scent of ozone and sterilized steel. Mitsuki—the boy who had always been a shadow following Boruto’s sun—had vanished, leaving behind only a cryptic message and a trail of questions that led toward the Land of Earth.
Just as Kokuyō prepared to deliver a crushing blow to a grounded Boruto, a familiar snake-like silhouette flickered at the top of the canyon. Mitsuki was there, his gold eyes cold and unreadable.
"Mitsuki!" Boruto yelled, reaching out a hand. "Let’s go back! We can fix this!" Boruto: Naruto Next Generations Episode 74
The group began their trek deeper into enemy territory, no longer just runaway genin, but a rescue party determined to save a soul.
Boruto and Sarada, defying direct orders from the Hidden Leaf, had tracked the missing member of Team 7 to a desolate, rocky canyon on the outskirts of the Land of Earth. They weren't alone. Shikadai, Inojin, and Cho-Cho had been sent to bring them home, but after a tense standoff, Shikadai had seen the look in Boruto’s eyes—the same stubborn loyalty that had once defined Naruto. He chose to help them instead. In the hidden labs of Orochimaru, the air
Boruto stood in the dust, his hand still outstretched. He hadn't brought Mitsuki home, but he had seen the truth: Mitsuki was hurting, lost in a crisis of identity that no Rasengan could solve.
As the sun began to dip behind the jagged peaks, the group found themselves blocked by a massive, artificial wall of stone. Standing before it was Kokuyō, a "Fabricant" created by the rogue scientist Onoki. Unlike the mindless clay soldiers they had fought earlier, Kokuyō was fast, lethal, and devoid of emotion. Mitsuki was there, his gold eyes cold and unreadable
"You’re persistent," Kokuyō said, his voice a flat, unsettling monotone. He didn't use ninjutsu; he used pure, overwhelming physical prowess.