Gaara nodded and said to Boruto and Shikadai, "You two go with Child Emperor first."
"Temari, Shinki, Yeto, you stay. I still have some things to ask you."
"Yes," the three of them replied.
After Boruto and Shikadai bowed to the Kazekage, they followed Child Emperor and retreated from the office.
Walking down the quiet hallway of the Kazekage Building, Boruto could not help his curiosity and lowered his voice to ask Child Emperor,
"Child Emperor, why doesn't Sasori live in the village? He's a ninja of Sunagakure after all, and such a powerful advisor."
Child Emperor's smile faded a little. He sighed, and his tone carried a complexity ill-suited to his age:
"The reason is pretty complicated. It involves some historical leftovers from many years ago, including before the Fourth Shinobi World War, as well as some choices Master himself made."
"Anyway, Master basically never enters the village unless he has to. Routine affairs, contact, or technical support for the village are all relayed or communicated through me."
Boruto understood only half of it, but words like "historical leftovers" and "his own choices" made him inexplicably think of someone else.
That was Mitsuki's father, Orochimaru.
He was a scientist who similarly possessed heaven-shaking wisdom, yet drifted on the fringes of Konoha because of his past.
Shikadai saw Boruto's confusion and patted his shoulder. "Alright, Boruto, everyone has their own past and choices."
"We're just here to ask Sasori for help, so don't go blindly prying into these kinds of privacy."
"Oh, right." Boruto nodded, then remembered something more important. "By the way! That girl! I wonder if she's woken up yet, and how things are over at the hospital?"
Shikadai's expression also turned serious. "Yeah, the top priority is to confirm her condition. Child Emperor, can we go check