Reborn!

41: Jinchūriki Assemble

"Hello, everyone. We will assemble in a week for an emergency meeting. Do clear your schedules for that day so that we can meet at the agreed time."

Naruto's upbeat voice transmission via their pendant communication system certainly did not make the contents of the upcoming meeting seem important. If anyone else heard this message, they might have assumed that the speaker was joking around or exaggerating the meeting's importance. Nonetheless, the jinchūriki -- privy as they were to their impending demise -- would not dare to dismiss Naruto's call so casually.

"Got it, Kyū!" dutifully responded the energetic Fū.

The rest took a bit longer to reply.

"Roger that."

"Understood."

"We'll be there, bakayaro konoyaro."

"Kyū-san, please forgive B for his speech impediment. I ensure that we will get there on time."

"Sure."

"Consider that done."

The jinchūriki spoke in no particular order, chiming in as and when they liked.

"Anytime, Naruto," said Yagura, a beat slower than the rest, "but would travel time be accounted for? I'll have to make some arrangements if we're going to be gone for longer than a day."

On Naruto's end, he was handing a jar (in which a pair of pupil-less eyeballs with white irises were suspended) to a pink-haired girl donning sterile surgical attire complete with gloves and a mask.

Naruto returned to his room in the yet-unnamed hideout in Konoha that he shared with Sakura and Sasuke.

"The duration of our meeting depends on the length of the discussion, but you should return on the same day," Naruto answered the question at last.

If not for his unique constitution, he might have grown fat -- or at least become un-fit -- from his lack of exercise. It was not that he did not want to train. He was just so busy. Whether it was with fūinjutsu or his personal connections, Naruto was occupied throughout the day. It was good and bad that he no longer had the physical limitations of a human -- he was strong without having to maintain his body, and that meant he cut that out of his daily routine. Without that extra time to decompress, he felt the stress gradually piling up on him.

The pressure of knowing that the fate of the world rested on his shoulders.

ʕ•ﻌ•ʔ

Soon, the agreed time arrived.

"Hey, is everyone there?"

Without awaiting their response, Naruto continued, "Channel chakra into this pendant. I hope you remembered the password? Say it once you reach your destination."

It was a safeguard against those who could simulate the chakra of others -- such as a specific variant of the white Zetsu clones. Some might consider his security to be overkill. After all, the key was an accessory that could not be removed from the owner's possession by any except the one whose soul bore a matching seal -- left by Naruto alongside the pendant. However, while he trusted the jinchūriki from his experiences with their bijū, he did not think that it was wrong to guard against accidents. Carelessness was difficult to completely eradicate with any amount of caution. It was impossible to ensure it would not be taken by someone while it was removed.

Fū, with an invisible clone in tow, arrived in a closet-sized box just large enough for two people to stand in. She realised the walls were carved with fūinjutsu, kanji covering every visible surface. The seals were dim in a space unforgivingly narrow and claustrophobic.