uminosclassroom:

Hopefully, whoever was in the inn with him is used to his partner wandering off. Of course, it’s also possible that his host body never leaves the other’s side, at which point it would not be long until Iruka is found. Every member of the Akatsuki are bingo book shinobi and he has no idea who he is supposed to be looking for as yet another disadvantage. 

This body is weak and frail. He has trouble catching his breath after just a few miutes of walking. He’ll push himself to get a head start out of the city, and then start walking again to maintain strength. If someone is going to come looking for him, he will need to be vigilant and scout places to hide along the way. This is made more difficult by how close he has to get to a feature before he is able to see it properly.  

The only important thing is that he makes it to Konoha. If this is a one way switch, he has unexpectedly left a class full of children alone and his body could potentially be dead. A two way switch made more sense though, he wouldn’t put it past the Akatsuki to smuggle their own into the village walls using some form of a mind transfer jutsu.

Which would mean a terrorist organization had infiltrated the village. They would have easy access to first and second level security files, a near-complete list of who is in and out of the village and when they are expected to be back, and pre-genin hostages.

Iruka picks up the pace. 

Piloting this man’s body really is a reminder of how bad his own health is.

Itachi finds himself over compensating easy tasks. Gripping onto a branch too tight, pushing down onto a branch too hard, feeling the wood snap under the weight of both the foot and chakra necessary to push off. 

It was easier to ignore when he was the host. Even if the changes came more quickly than slowly. He had medicine to help push down the symptoms, to tone down the pain, to keep his body working. 

And it would provide a hindrance to whoever might be in his. He and Kisame did not separate, and such an attempt would make his partner inevitably follow, worried for Itachi’s health, and of course, confused as to why the other didn’t tell him they were leaving. 

It’s been four hours. Exhaustion is only now beginning to set in. The border is near… 

uminosclassroom:

When Iruka wakes, he feels more worn than usual. He must have slept poorly, he is sore and his vision is extra blurry. Iruka rubs at his eyes to clear away any offending gunk, only to find that the texture on the ceiling never quite comes into focus. He grimaces, his mouth tastes like he has not brushed his teeth in weeks. Something is wrong.

Iruka has a ceiling fan above his bed. This isn’t his house. Maybe the hospital? Amnesia from a battle? No, the hospital smells like antiseptic. He turns his head to examine the room. It looks like an inn, formulaic furniture that tries to mimic a real home. There are two bed rolls, and though the other is empty, the covers are mussed. Whoever slept there will be back soon. 

Beside him there is a neatly folded robe with a cloud pattern he recognizes from Konoha’s terrorist watch list. His arms are pale and wrist thin. This place is not his, and neither is this body. 

Release. 

No luck, he still has bony fingers and varnished nails. Iruka needs to get back to Konoha, figure out what kind of jutsu did this and how to reverse it. More importantly, he needs to leave before whoever he shared the room with returns. Iruka listens through the door for any sign of footsteps coming down the hall. Once he’s sure it’s clear, he cautiously makes his way down to the front entryway. The woman at the front desk is kind enough to go get his shoes for him, which saves him from trying to guess which pair happens to be his. 

Iruka thanks her and makes a beeline for the walking path that leads out of town.

Itachi mulls over the possibilities of the situation, clearing trees one by one. The chakra control in this body is at least good, and it has  been some time since he’s traveled without the aches in his joints and muscles. 

The vision is not as great as it is with the aid of Sharingan, but it is better than his regular sight. A small sacrifice. 

Best case scenario; this is a freak technique and his real body is left unconscious in the inn Kisame and he had stayed in. Kisame would worry…but he would ultimately protect the body until Itachi actually arrived. As long as he could confirm it was breathing. 

The more likely one is the logical one; a full switch. Which leaves two distinct possibilities stemming from it, alone.

Either Kisame turns aggressive finding that the new host is not actually Itachi, or the host manages to escape.

Even if he did, it wouldn’t be for long. His partner has loads more chakra than he, and can travel and fight for days without worrying about exhaustion. 

And then, what of that? Should they meet, how is Itachi to reverse this. He doesn’t even know what caused it in the first place.

He must meet the goal of locating his original body, first.