In the land of rivers, Toji and Afro were looking at a coal mine controlled by the local Daimyo.
Although the world of Naruto does indeed show a sadder side, the protagonist usually appeared to change the situation and transform the negative into positive.
Unfortunately, not all injustices in the world could be fixed, the mine in front of them was an example of that.
A group of armed samurai patrolled the mine, the rocky terrain filled with several carts of coal being taken out and others empty, going in.
Several civilians in subhuman conditions, barely wearing clothes, with emaciated and sickly bodies, worked under the crack of whips.
There were only dozens of Samurai, but there were thousands of workers.
Toji and Afro were wandering through this place when they passed through several villages. Most of the inhabitants of those villages were women and children, thin and with dull eyes. At first they ignored them, but then curiosity got the better of them.
Based on the information gathered so far, he has discovered the current situation.
Slavery was never a widely discussed theme in Naruto, perhaps these civilians weren't even given that title, as for most Daimyos, civilians were no different from property.
Toji didn't feel much seeing that, probably due to his past experiences. Although he hadn't become completely cold thanks to Jugo's help, it was difficult for him to care about things that had nothing to do with him.
Cold Blooded.
The further he progressed, the greater the effect on him, on the one hand, his mental protection grew, on the other, just like the Bind from the Chained Pathway, he felt it less and less, but in a much more direct way.
Even so, although he didn't feel much for the people themselves, a feeling of disgust for the whole situation was growing.
Even so, Toji didn't move. Looking at the thousands of civilians, Toji's first thought wasn't to save them, instead, it was that these guys looked like they had one foot in the grave. If he helped them... wouldn't they be willing to sell their souls for it?
Toji's enthusiasm has grown.
He would wait until nightfall, while they were resting, before acting, if he acted now, the value of the action itself would diminish.
-Let's go. - Toji looked at Afro, turned around, and left.
Afro simply narrowed his eyes at the situation before turning and leaving as well.
He wasn't exactly a saint either.
However, while he thought they were leaving, Toji took him bear hunting, setting up camp not far from the mine, and they roasted the bear meat while waiting until nightfall.
Afro didn't ask anything, so when Toji stopped not far away, he was almost certain he was going to act. What was Toji waiting for? Afro still didn't know, but for now, just eat, there might be 'work' later.
Afro was right, when night fell, Toji moved, taking Afro back to the coal mine. He observed the patrolmen's torches during the night, Toji could easily see everything with his Byakugan, he could even see the indifferent and sleepy look of the guards.
Some were already asleep.
This place is just a coal mine, and while it's useful, it's not very important in the overall picture. In the end, these guys were never attacked, who would come to steal coal?
Of course, Toji didn't want coal, he wanted souls.
So, he kept Afro outside, and the next moment, he transformed into his liquid/spiritual form, advancing through the shadows, completely hidden from those guys.
He went to a separate lodging area, which consisted of dozens of wooden sheds with hundreds of people crammed inside.
They didn't even have beds, but slept on dry straw or the hard ground, some groaned in pain, others coughed, there were even those who were quiet, too quiet, almost dead, with weak breathing and a low fever.
Toji observed the group with his Byakugan, he thought for a moment, it would take too long to make deals with each one, so he moved on to plan B.
Returning to human form outside the 'shacks', he began to make hand seals while concentrating his abyss power. The next moment, he opened his eyes as a warm chakra emanated from within him, engulfing all the sheds.
-Abyss Release, Devil's Contract. - The next moment, all the sleeping miners were dragged into the same dream.
In the dream, the black castle in the Tenebrous World appeared, and upon Jugo's throne, a figure shrouded in mist with fiery eyes gazed at these men.
The Genjutsu's objective was simple: to make them accept the agreement. The moment they accepted, Toji would sense it, and a contract would be formed.
A mixture he created haphazardly, it involved genjutsu, sealing techniques, demonic language, and the power of the Tenebrous World.
The deal was simple: freedom. The 'devil' offered freedom, but in exchange? Their souls after they died.
Most didn't think twice, accepting quickly, the rest were quickly tempted by the demon, the very power of the Desire Apostle of Toji influencing them to fall, to accept this agreement that allowed them to have a free life.
In the end, Toji thought there would be some who would refuse on principle or something like that, the kind of minor protagonist that appeared in Naruto by chance.
No, everyone accepted, Toji didn't even have to make much of an effort, he secured almost 3,000 contracts at once.
Toji smiled, it was totally worth it.
Now that this step was complete, he moved on to the second stage.
Removing Shakukonto from Snake Clone's mouth, he transformed into a shadow in the dark night.
A guard drinking from a gourd of wine raised it, ready to take another sip, but the next moment he was confused: why was the gourd rising?
Wait, was he the one who was falling?
When everything went dark, the man's head fell, and his hand, still holding the gourd upright, now spilled the wine.
Even before the man's body fell, another figure was walking a few dozen meters away, when the world also tilted to the side, another head fell.
1, 2, 3... 67.
12 seconds, 67 dead.
Toji waved the sword to the side, wiping away the blood, then placing it back inside its sheath.
With his hands in his pockets, he went out again, Afro was already waiting.
He simply glanced at the bloody scene in the distance, said nothing, and followed him away. There was no one worth fighting there, for both of them, this episode was merely a brief interlude.
As for those people? Toji wasn't optimistic about them.
When they woke up the next day, they would realize they were free, but their future was uncertain, if they had the courage to flee, whether alone or with their families, they might stand a chance.
Yet, how many of them would actually have that courage? Most would likely just return home, thinking it was all over, right up until the Daimyo realized what had happened.
The man's likely response would be to kill in search of the culprit, or drag them back to the mines to work.
Still, that was no longer Toji's problem. He had granted them their freedom, fulfilling his end of the contract, as for the rest, what did that have to do with him?