By this time, the Akatsuki had been getting noticed, so he decided it would be best to hide his cloak in the cavern, and place branches over the cavern's entrance. In addition, he pulled a pair of mute blue legwarmers over his ankles. From the information he had gathered, this was common in Kirigakure. He had observed Kisame's choice in clothing as well, as many of the Akatuki tended to keep the style of their village. This led him to place another pair over his wrists, the fabric extending to reach his elbows.

He crouched at a nearby stream, checking his reflection in the rushing water. From what he could tell, he looked strange. ...I still look like a Konohona ninja. After a brief moment of hesitation, he took out a kunai and rendered his shirt fishnet-less. Better... Somewhat... He placed his forehead protector in his bag and took out a roll of bandages, using them to surround his head and part of his neck, hiding his jet-black hair from sight. He looked into the water again. Much better.

Satisfied, but with nowhere to hide his sword, he readjusted the bag on his back and sheathed his katana. He turned and surveyed the area through the holes he had made for his eyes, then jumped into the trees, moving with increased speed.

Within the hour, he had made it to Port City. The sun had risen enough for it to be considered morning, and a few birds began to sing. Despite the peaceful scenery, Uchiha Itachi was not calmed. He was restlessly gauging the reactions of those he passed, feeling somewhat nude without the cloak he had worn for so long. Refusing to be bothered by it, he pressed on.

"Are you boarding?" A tall, wiry man who appeared to be in his late sixties asked, referring to the barge behind him.

"Headed to Kirigakure, right?" He responded, his voice raspy due to the pressure of the bandages on his throat.

"That's right."

Wordlessly, the Uchiha dug in his pack, procuring the amount needed for the ride and handing it over before stepping onto the boat. The other passengers hardly spared him a glance, which raised his confidence slightly. He took a seat on the end nearest the exit and waited, a hand lazily slung over the edge of the structure.

Half an hour later, the barge spluttered into motion. He closed his onyx eyes, listening to the waves crashing about him. Earlier the man had decided that he would rather be half blind than have himself picked out of the crowd for his sharingan. Only time would tell whether that was a good decision or not.

For the moment, though, he needed to stay focused. His eyes opened again, and he observed the other passengers. All of them seemed to be from Kirigakure, he could tell by their headbands. At this realization, he mentally cursed. He had no headband to prove he was truly from the village. Without his sharingan, however, he couldn't risk throwing his sword overboard to save face. No, he would have to think of another reason. And quickly.

It was then that he noticed something else. The boat was well constructed, but there were dents scattered all over the place. And another thing; the captain was nowhere in sight. After close analyzing, he deduced that the captain was actually within the boat. Which could only mean...

The sound of the sea was abruptly broken by obscenities. "Don't TOUCH my SWORD unless you wanna DIE by it!"

"So you think you can? I'm up for a little sparring." The speaker smirked at the man in front of him, clearly confident of his strength.

...Just my luck... These shinobi are looking for a fight... Hopefully they won't- He jerked to his feet, a row of kunai peppering the chair he had been sitting on. ...Maybe I can avoid them until we hit land... For three hours... He slunk off into the shadows, muscles tensed, and watched as the deck broke into chaos.

He managed to avoid the others for a full hour before men started dropping, either out of exhaustion or blood loss. The same man who had induced the fight stood amongst his fellow villagers, gazing around with that very same smirk. Itachi narrowed his eyes, trying to make out his features, but his sight failed him, blurring whatever recognizable traits he had, beyond the stranger's overall brown hair and gray clothing.

And then the man noticed him. "... You there. What are you doing, hiding away? Come and join the madness." He laughed, displaying said madness.

I could continue hiding and be attacked here, or I could step into the open. Preferring not to be pushed into a corner, he stood, walking out of the shadows and towards his opponent. ...If I lose, I have to make it believable. He's too sharp for that, though. If I win, then I'll be blamed upon reaching the Mist. Drawing it out seems to be the only option... But can I maintain it for two hours...? That's pushing it, and beyond that, I'll be tired...

The grinning man leaned on his sword. "What's the matter, Bandages? Scared of me already?" Itachi kept his gaze level, but frowned, the movement hidden by his coverings. He doesn't seem the least bit tired... There's nothing I can do about it now, though. He swung his katana out of it's sheathe and to the side, watching the man all the while. In turn, the man's insane grin went up a notch. "Let's spar, Bandages."

His opponent lunged forward with impressive speed, his sword cutting through the air. Itachi almost didn't parry in time; his reactions without the sharingan were much slower. Their blades clashed, and for the moment, it seemed the man would overpower him. Up close, Itachi could identify him better. His jaw was drawn taut with effort, and his eyes were colored a dizzying yellow. His skin was pale, almost to the point of gray, though that could easily be because of the fog that was closing in around the boat. With a surprising show of strength, the Uchiha pushed his opponent back, making him catch himself before he stumbled.

"Not bad, Bandages... Not bad at all..." The man murmured to himself, wiping his mouth. The pause lasted only for a few seconds before he launched into another offensive, forcing Itachi to keep up with his increasing speed. In the back of his mind, the Uchiha had to keep a tight lid on his kekkai genkai, which was worming around his head, trying to activate itself to aid him.

When they broke apart again, both were breathless. Silence ensued as each man sized the other up, trying to determine if they had any chance of winning, or if it would end in stalemate. Itachi, for the most part, was simply tired, having blocked all of his opponent's attacks, and held his own, for the most part.

The stranger eyed the Uchiha critically before breaking the quiet. "... Toukou Shidai." His voice sounded rougher; likely as a result of their match.

"Yu Nanzo."

The boat slowed to a halt, tipping slightly in the waves, though less sharply than when it had been in the open sea. The man who had guided Itachi into the boat reappeared from a hatch in the floor, pushing aside some poor soul who hadn't made it through Toukou's training session. "Everyone who can walk, get off! Those of you who can't, hope to hell you can swim!"

The Uchiha glanced around the boat, steadying his breathing and sheathing his sword, then turned and walked off, stepping onto the dock. The lack of rocking made him stumble, but his arm was jerked back and steadied. He turned his head slightly, meeting the yellow eyes with his black ones. "..."

"What a glare. And here I was asking if you'd like some help, considering you're not from this village."

"And what makes you think that?" His voice, though distorted, still conveyed his regularly neutral tone.

"I've fought pretty much everyone here at least once. I never forget." He tapped his head, releasing the Uchiha's arm to do so.

"..." He looked ahead of him and around the port, somewhat daunted. "...Your offer is appreciated." Any man that held his own against him deserved respect, and beyond that, Itachi couldn't have him as an enemy. It was risky either way, and he preferred to take the less risky choice.

Toukou grinned. "I look forward to it. Are you staying somewhere in particular?"

"...No. I assume you have a recommendation."

"Naturally."

"Lead the way."

Toukou was more than willing to do so, and fifteen minutes later Itachi was standing outside of a run-down inn. He looked it over, checking the exits, number of windows, and position in the street. Satisfied with what he saw, he pushed aside the strands of cloth barring the entrance, and entered, gaze flitting around the room.

"May I help you?" An elderly man with considerable weight sat behind a desk, a cigar in his mouth. The man tapped the ash off, his plump hand hovering over a metal disk.

"...How much does a room cost?"

"750 yen a night, depending on the suite. Looks like you'll have the lower ones, though." Surely I don't appear so rough? Though, that can be both a bad and a good thing...

He drew the payment out of his bag and handed it over, recoiling as they touched. The man dropped a pair of keys onto the counter. Attached was a strand of paper with the room number on it.

He glanced to the door after scooping the keys up, where Toukou was leaning against the frame, watching with his arms across his chest. "...Thank you." His gaze turned to the hall and he walked forward, reading the numbers of each room through squinted eyes.

"See you later, Nanzo."

Itachi opened the room he had been assigned and peered inside. It was a dimly lit, one-room suite with a bathroom off to the left. A window and a bed occupied the far wall, and the wall on his right was blank. He stepped inside, viewing the wall containing the door, seeing a wooden dresser in the corner. He shut the door and set his bag down before falling onto the bed, exhausted. He closed his eyes briefly, resting his strained muscles.

After a few moments he ventured into the bathroom. The sink and the shower both showed signs of use, yellow limestone stains leading down to the drain. He locked himself in and started the water, keeping his katana on the sink, within easy reach.

His shower lasted all but seven minutes before the water became bipolar.

He was not pleased.

The steam leisurely wafted out of the bathroom door as the Uchiha took a seat on his bed, his gaze once again dyed with the color of the sharingan. After checking to ensure the door was locked and the blinds were closed, he laid on the bed once more, staring at the ceiling. His mind was blank, worn out from the fighting. He forced himself to think about his checkpoint. How much time did he have left? After brief reconnaissance, he learned that it was roughly two in the afternoon. The mist that strangled the land would have made him none the wiser, though.

He pushed himself off the hardened mattress and got to his feet, checking his reflection as he passed the bathroom. Not a crack in his disguise. Good...

The Uchiha reached for his bag, laying out his supplies over the bed. He had numerous medicinal herbs, ranging from pain killers to ones that settled the stomach. Among the herbs were several packages of food, wrapped in a white papery substance. All together, the squares held more than enough for a week-long journey. Next to the food was a thermos of tea and a bottle of water. Worried that he may become dehydrated, the man pressed the bottle to his lips and drank, swallowing small gulps, so as not to drink too much at one time. He returned the bottle to the bed and surveyed an assortment of weapons, then checked his medicinal kit. Everything was in its rightful place.

Satisfied, he repacked everything and picked up the bag, preferring not to leave anything in the room he couldn't take with him. He surpressed his sharingan and exited the inn, walking towards the large, round structure he had seen in so many reference books; where the Mizukage held court.

He made several loops, gleaning information from strangers as they passed him, before deciding that any more would look suspicious, and turned to head back to the inn. He was met with no incidents, and reentered with ease.

Again in his room, he fell to setting traps and seals, preventing him from being surprised. When he had enough, he once more collapsed on the tattered bed, and reviewed his performance for the day.

The boat will prove difficult on the way back. I need to stay away from Shidai... And if I stay too much longer, I could be found out. Beyond that, I don't seem to have raised too many questions...

He raised a hand to his throat, pulling off the bandages around his neck and head, letting them drop to the floor. His sandals followed, each with a dull thunk of their own. He curled up, pulling the thin blanket over him, and closed his eyes. Eventually, he drifted off.