The battle was frantic. Boruto’s Shadow Clones were popped like bubbles, and Sarada’s Sharingan could barely keep up with Kokuyō’s blurring movements. It was a clash of philosophies: the Leaf genin fought for a friend, while the Fabricant fought because it was programmed to survive.
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.
"You’re persistent," Kokuyō said, his voice a flat, unsettling monotone. He didn't use ninjutsu; he used pure, overwhelming physical prowess.
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.
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.
Mitsuki didn't move. He looked at Boruto, then at the Fabricants behind him—beings who, like him, had been "made" rather than born. For the first time, Boruto saw a flicker of doubt in his friend. Mitsuki wasn't running away; he was searching for his own will, trying to see if he was a person or just a tool for someone else’s ambition.
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.
Without a word, Mitsuki turned his back and vanished into the darkness of the Land of Earth, followed by Kokuyō.
