After the training battle concluded,
Lux sent Parallel World 1 Madara back to Parallel World 1.
Meanwhile, Minato brought a still-confused Obito and Kakashi back to Earth.
In just half a day.
Spiral White Zetsu found Pitcher Plant White Zetsu, who was carrying the Rinnegan, successfully retrieved it, and handed it over to Obito.
Thus, Obito completed his first crucial task since returning to Konoha.
Though the main contributor was still Madara from another dimension,
The key point is that the Rinnegan was recovered.
This allowed Obito to breathe a genuine sigh of relief.
After witnessing the terrifying training battle between Minato, who had fought Black Eyes hundreds of times, and Madara, Obito's loyalty undoubtedly skyrocketed.
Now, he was a true Konoha ninja, inside and out—how could he dare harbor ill intentions again?
Notably, Minato quickly assigned Obito a second task:
Recruiting all remaining White Zetsu, including Spiral White Zetsu.
After all, Parallel World 1 Madara couldn't appear every day, and as Madara's successor, Obito was undoubtedly the best candidate to recruit these White Zetsu.
In the eyes of Spiral White Zetsu and the others, Konoha Village was now secretly controlled by Madara.
With Obito recruiting them, they naturally wouldn't refuse.
Minato had no intention of slaughtering all the White Zetsu. Subduing Spiral White Zetsu and many others would greatly benefit Konoha Village.
However, the premise was ensuring sufficient safety and control.
How to fully subdue the White Zetsu?
How to correct their misguided understanding of the Infinite Tsukuyomi?
How to ensure they wouldn't harm Konoha's residents?
These and other issues required Obito to slowly explore—a second test from Minato.
Afterward, Minato took Kakashi back to Konoha Village first.
Recovering the Rinnegan was only the first step in preparing to face Otsutsuki Isshiki.
Much more preparation was needed, and Minato had no time to delay.
Fortunately, with help from Madara and others, Minato felt much more at ease.
◆━⊰✧⊱━◆
[Parallel World 4 Unification Progress: 86% → 88%]
"Only a two percent increase in unification progress?"
"Perhaps because Minato's side successfully retrieved the remaining Rinnegan."
Lux glanced at the system, unsurprised by the progress change.
After the last lunar expedition war, Minato's side in Parallel World 4 hadn't changed much, steadily developing the village and preparing to defeat Isshiki.
He wasn't rushing to destroy specific nations or villages, so unification progress didn't shift dramatically.
Lux wasn't in a hurry either.
Konoha's faction in Parallel World 4 already had the power to crush the entire ninja world. Once Minato and the others defeated the god-like Otsutsuki Isshiki, achieving peaceful unification was only a matter of time.
Thus, there was no need for excessive worry.
As always: you can always trust the power of the yellow-haired Hokage.
"Alright, that side might still need some time to prepare."
"Which world should I visit next?"
Lux pondered briefly; choosing a card could sometimes be a tough decision.
◆━⊰✧⊱━◆
Meanwhile.
In Parallel World 5, the Land of Rain, inside Amegakure Village.
Over a week had passed since the near-disastrous Five Kage Summit.
Edo Tensei Nagato and Konan had returned to their village.
They also retrieved Jiraiya's body from the depths of the inland sea connecting the village.
In the previous battle, Jiraiya had lost an arm to Six Paths Pain and left significant blood traces.
At the time, Nagato hadn't considered Edo Tensei, let alone known how to perform it.
So he didn't preserve those blood traces, which were later cleaned by rain and Amegakure ninjas.
To obtain Jiraiya's personal material for Edo Tensei, retrieving the intact body from the seabed was far more reliable.
The deep sea, thousands of meters down, was an abyss even ninjas struggled to navigate.
A mortal body, penetrable by a kunai, couldn't withstand hundreds of times the underwater pressure, even with chakra.
Searching for and retrieving a skeleton in the dark, lightless seabed for an extended period was no joke—the difficulty could drive anyone mad.
Theoretically, only a near-invincible self-healing body like a Ten-Tails Jinchuriki or perfect Bijuu cloak protection could make it feasible.
However, for Edo Tensei Nagato with the Rinnegan, this was no challenge.
In just a few days, Nagato used the Rinnegan's power to create a new Asura Path, then relied on shared Rinnegan vision to control a puppet, dive thousands of meters, and successfully retrieve Jiraiya's body—or rather, his skeleton.
The flesh and organs had long been consumed by sea creatures.
That a skeleton remained, not devoured and digested by large marine carnivores, was already fortunate.
Thankfully, Jiraiya's death was only a few months prior.
If it had been years, even the bones might not have been found.
◆━⊰✧⊱━◆
Inside a sealed room.
After preparing the summoning materials, Edo Tensei Nagato was ready to revive Jiraiya.
Only two and a half people were present:
Edo Tensei Nagato, Konan, and a White Zetsu as the sacrifice.
"Nagato, are you really ready? Do you truly want to revive Jiraiya-sensei?"
"Why? Don't you want to see our naive, stubborn teacher again?"
"No. I'm worried that after he's revived, he'll attack the village. In sensei's heart, Konoha Village will always be far more important than us…"
Konan frowned with concern.
In the previous battle, no one could deny Jiraiya's courage—he died to send information back to Konoha, an undeniable hero.
But "a hero to them is an enemy to us."
Jiraiya's resolute sacrifice proved his deep loyalty to Konoha and clarified his stance and threat to Amegakure.
Frankly, without Nagato and a few others, even if Konoha sent Jiraiya to attack Amegakure, he likely wouldn't hesitate,
Just as he infiltrated Amegakure before.
Konan was no longer the naive girl she once was.
She knew the world held too many irreconcilable contradictions.
Even if humans could change many things, they couldn't change their origins.
People like her, born in Amegakure, could never compare to Jiraiya's direct disciples from Konoha, despite being his students.
The difference in closeness and opposing positions was an unchangeable fact.
Nagato patted Konan's head, smiling reassuringly:
"Don't worry. As long as I'm here, he won't cause trouble."
"And this time, I'm summoning him myself—I won't release the control talisman binding his personality."
Konan nodded, no longer objecting:
"Alright, begin. If there's any issue, I'll face it with you."
"Thank you."
Nagato calmed himself and began forming hand seals.
"Edo Tensei!"
The forbidden jutsu activated, a mass of dust swirled and gathered, enveloping the White Zetsu, slowly transforming into Jiraiya's form.
Seconds later, Edo Tensei Jiraiya regained consciousness and began observing his surroundings.
"Hmm? Where am I? I remember I was gathering material outside a bathhouse. How did I end up here?"
"Jiraiya-sensei, long time no see. Still as perverted as ever…" Nagato's faint greeting echoed.
"Nagato?!?"
Edo Tensei Jiraiya was stunned, his jaw nearly dropping at the sight of Nagato's true form before him.