The paper corner Konan sent out never entered Konoha.
It remained in the soil-free observation room in the Land of Rivers.
The fragment of Obito's heart core was in another building.
The Land of Rain retained the original chakra records from around the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path.
The three sides did not share control.
They agreed only to observe changes in their respective evidence at the same time.
Nagato would not allow Konoha near the statue.
Nor would he allow Obito to enter the underground space with Kamui.
The Demonic Statue of the Outer Path was linked to the Rinnegan. If anyone tried to seize control during the tests, the Land of Rain would immediately cut off all contact.
Konoha accepted the restrictions.
Obito made no promise to trust Nagato. He merely sent a Spatial Sensor Fragment incapable of opening a portal to the perimeter.
It could only determine whether folds resembling those of another dimension appeared around the statue. It could not serve as an arrival point for Kamui.
Before the tests began, all three sides separately sealed and preserved the current state of their evidence.
The Land of Rivers recorded the direction of the black line on the paper corner.
Konoha recorded the positions of the tendrils on the Broken Core.
Konan surrounded the base of the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path with Paper Rings. Any chakra moving outward from within would tear through the corresponding paper layer.
Nagato stood directly in front of the statue, slowly activating his Rinnegan.
Normally, the chakra inside the statue resembled a dried-up riverbed.
The power of the tailed beasts had yet to enter it, and most of its channels lay dormant.
Yet in its deepest recesses, one node maintained a faint pulse.
Its rhythm was not that of