"Since we've reached an agreement, I'll await your arrival in Konoha."
Jiraiya took one last look at Nagato's back. Without any further sentimental words, his hands blurred through signs.
"Reverse Summoning Jutsu."
"Poof."
A massive plume of white smoke erupted in the rain, instantly dispersed by the howling wind.
Jiraiya's figure vanished from the spot.
Black Zetsu's form followed suit, sinking into the ground and disappearing in the blink of an eye.
High atop the tower, only Pain and Konon remained.
Nagato, controlling the Deva Path Pain, stood silently in the rain. Those Rinnegan eyes stared into the distance, lost in thought.
Meanwhile, in a dark corner several hundred meters away from the tower.
The space rippled and distorted slightly.
A figure wearing an orange spiral mask emerged from the void, a single Sharingan visible in the opening.
"So that's how it is..."
Obito whispered to himself.
Space warped again as the spiral ripples swallowed his body. Obito vanished into the darkness, leaving behind only a trace of chakra that was nearly impossible to detect.
...
Konoha, Hokage's Office.
Minato Namikaze sat behind his desk, holding a report on border patrols, but his gaze constantly drifted to the night sky outside the window.
"Poof!"
A cloud of white smoke billowed in the center of the office.
Minato immediately dropped his pen, his body tensing for a split second before relaxing.
The smoke cleared.
Jiraiya slumped onto the nearby sofa, discarding his dignity as he grabbed the cold water pitcher from the coffee table and downed several gulps.
Water trickled down the corners of his mouth, soaking the front of his clothes.
"Phew—"
Jiraiya let out a long breath, slamming the pitcher back onto the table. "I'm alive."
"Did it go smoothly?" Minato asked, scanning Jiraiya to ensure he wasn't injured.
"Smoothly."
Jiraiya wiped the water from his face. "Even more smoothly than expected. That Black Zetsu guy is more afraid of death than we thought."
Hearing this, a look of relief washed over Minato's face.
"That's good."
Minato stood up and poured a cup of hot tea for Jiraiya. "As long as it's willing to come, our plan is half-successful."
Jiraiya took the teacup, but his hands were trembling slightly.
This wasn't from the cold, but from the lingering fear.
"Minato, you don't know what it was like back there."
Jiraiya took a sip of hot tea, his eyes staring blankly. "The pressure from Nagato's Rinnegan... and that old monster Black Zetsu. I honestly thought I was going to buy the farm for a second."
He had acted completely nonchalant in the Rain Village, even daring to provoke Pain, but that was just to maintain the facade.
Now that he was back in the absolute safety of Konoha, the heavy stone pressing on his heart finally lifted.
That was a Rinnegan wielder; Nagato's power was likely already far beyond the Kage of other villages.
Not to mention an entity created by Kaguya Otsutsuki with mysterious abilities.
One wrong move would have meant total disaster.
Gamakon had wanted to go along to provide backup, but Jiraiya worried about the toad's temperament ruining things. He had told Gamakon to stay in the village and prepare the Reverse Summoning Jutsu as a contingency.
"What are you afraid of?"
Gamakon grabbed an apple from the desk and took a bite, speaking with a mouthful of fruit. "The Sage Sovereign was right here. If a fight really broke out, I would've just used Reverse Summoning to pull you back. At most, you'd just lose a bit of face."
"Easy for you to say, you damn toad."
Jiraiya glared at Gamakon. "Is this a matter of face? It's about lives! If the talks collapsed, Black Zetsu escaped, and Nagato went on a rampage, Konoha would never know peace again."
"How is it coming here?" Minato interrupted the bickering duo, asking the crucial question.
"It said it would sneak in on its own and told us to be ready to receive it."
Minato nodded, his fingers tapping rhythmically on the desk.
"Good. Coming alone shows it's still cautious. Caution is a good thing; it means it's truly serious about cooperating."
A brief silence fell over the office.
The atmosphere was relatively harmonious, as the greatest crisis had been temporarily averted.
Jiraiya leaned back on the sofa, staring at the ceiling as his expression grew complex.
"Minato."
Jiraiya spoke suddenly, his voice low. "About Nagato..."
Minato looked at his teacher.
Everyone understood what Jiraiya wanted to say.
That was the disciple he once pinned his highest hopes on, yet he had turned out like this.
"At the very end, Black Zetsu gave Nagato a piece of advice."
Jiraiya sat up straight, crossing his hands under his chin. "It told Nagato to protect those eyes, calling them 'borrowed things'."
Minato's eyes narrowed.
"Did it say they were Madara's eyes?" Minato asked.
"No."
Jiraiya shook his head. "It only said 'borrowed' without specifying from whom. It didn't mention Uchiha Madara's name."
"That's a relief, at least."
Jiraiya gave a bitter laugh. "I was worried that if Black Zetsu, that blabbermouth, spilled the whole truth and told Nagato he was just a 'vessel' chosen by Madara and that those eyes didn't belong to him... Nagato might have..."
Gamakon swallowed the apple and let out a cold sneer.
"Black Zetsu is sharp."
Gamakon waved a paw. "Even though it's backstabbing Madara's plan now, it still needs the power of the Rinnegan."
"What do you mean?" Jiraiya looked at Gamakon.
"Think about it. We want to use Kaguya as a vessel, but that's just a shortcut."
"If communication goes well and we get a way to deal with the Otsutsuki from Kaguya, then everyone's happy."
"But if the plan fails starting from the clone, then we might actually need Kaguya's real power."
Gamakon explained, "To truly resurrect Kaguya, a massive amount of chakra is still needed. The nine Tailed Beasts still need to be captured, and the God Tree still needs to be planted. Only the process has changed."
"Nagato's Rinnegan is the key to summoning the Demonic Statue and sealing the Tailed Beasts."
"If Nagato knew he was just an exploited tool and that the eyes belonged to Madara, what if he destroyed them in a fit of rage?"
"Or if he gave up on himself and went to fight Madara's corpse to the death?"
Gamakon hopped onto the map and pointed at the location of the Rain Village.
"Black Zetsu isn't stupid. It needs Nagato to continue acting as the 'leader,' to keep guarding those Rinnegan eyes, and even to keep collecting Tailed Beasts for it—even if it's under the guise of 'opposing the Otsutsuki'."
"So, it only said 'borrowed.' It's both a warning and a safeguard."
"It's saving Nagato's face while leaving itself a fallback."
"Indeed."
Minato picked up the thread. "If Nagato knew the full truth, given his personality, he would likely lose control. That wouldn't benefit us or Black Zetsu."
"This is for the best."
Minato stood up and walked to the window, looking out at the pitch-black night. "Nagato thinks he's fighting to protect the shinobi world, Black Zetsu thinks it's fighting to save its mother, and we're fighting for survival."
"While our goals differ, at least our barrels are pointed in the same direction until the threat of the 'Otsutsuki descent' is eliminated."
Jiraiya sighed and pulled a photo from his robes.
It was a group photo from when he was teaching the three children in the Rain Village.
In the photo, Yahiko was grinning brightly, Konon was gentle and shy, and though Nagato's eyes were covered by his hair, a faint smile hung on his lips.
"If we're going to put on a show, let's go all the way."
Jiraiya tucked the photo back into his robes, his gaze turning firm once more.
"With Black Zetsu's speed, it should arrive by tomorrow morning."
Minato looked at Gamakon. "How are things on Orochimaru's end?"
"That snake has been itching to get started."
Gamakon grinned. "Ever since he heard an 'alien' sample was being delivered to his door, he hasn't slept a wink. He's calibrated the lab equipment eight hundred times. That 'vessel' embryo is growing quite nicely now."
"Very well."
Minato walked back to his desk and signed a document.
"Command the Anbu to enter Level One Combat Alert."
"Starting tomorrow, seal off all sensory barriers around the village. Announce it as a scheduled exercise."
"Additionally..."
Minato paused and looked at Jiraiya. "Teacher, you must accompany Black Zetsu throughout its stay. After all, you are the 'middleman'."
"And bring Fugaku along."
Minato added, "The Uchiha clan's Sharingan is sensitive to entities made of Yin-Yang Style like Black Zetsu. With Fugaku there, we can prevent it from trying any little tricks."
"Fugaku?"
Jiraiya blinked. "Is it appropriate to let him in on an S-rank secret like this?"
"It is."
Minato smiled. "Since we've decided to integrate the Uchiha into the village, we can't treat them as outsiders at a time like this."
Gamakon added, "Besides... won't it be interesting to let the Uchiha clan head meet the culprit who tampered with their family's stone tablet?"
Jiraiya imagined the scene.
Fugaku with his Sharingan active, glaring at Black Zetsu and asking why it screwed over the Uchiha clan...
"That would indeed be very interesting."
A mischievous grin curled on Jiraiya's lips. "Fine, I'll take the job. I want to see what kind of face the serious Clan Head Fugaku makes when he learns the truth."
"Then it's settled."
Minato closed the file.
"Tomorrow morning, in Orochimaru's lab, we'll give this 'devoted son' a proper lesson."
"Let him learn what 'Scientific Cultivation with Shinobi World Characteristics' really means."