She nods.

"Most children, no matter how skilled, would have had trouble making that journey alone."

"I'm not most children."

"You don't seem to be, no."

"I'm the jinchuuriki of the Ichibi," she volunteers.

She nods. "Thank you for telling me. Have you noticed Suna following you?"

"Not yet."

"How long ago did you leave?"

"Three and a half days, now."

"You're fast."

"I have a lot of chakra."

"That would help."

She probably should have lied about how long it took her to get here, oops.

She'll just... stop digging this particular hole any deeper unprompted.

Mikoto turns briefly back to breakfast.

"What are your goals here?"

"I hadn't... really thought that far ahead."

She nods. "You want to avoid returning to Suna, though?"

"Yes."

"You're not gonna make her go back, right, mom?" Hisame asks.

Mikoto hums. "I'll do my best, honey, but I can't override the Hokage, you know."

Elieyha is unsure if she can constructively advocate for herself without sounding suspicious. She'll default to staying quiet.

Mikoto lets her.

After breakfast, Elieyha is brought to the Hokage's office, there to present her case.

She sticks to the same story she told Mikoto.

He's kind, and gentle, and grandfatherly, and trying to spool as much information out of her as possible.

He can have whatever he wants to know about Suna.

Which is quite a lot, for now.

And her own motives here?

She wants to live somewhere that won't assassinate her about it.