The Kurama Clan was Konoha Village's strongest genjutsu clan.
But years of relentless warfare had drastically reduced the clan's population.
In particular, talented children with ninja potential were often graduated early and sent to the battlefield, where they died before they had a chance to mature.
The more talented a ninja was, the less likely they were to leave behind descendants.
As a result, the Kurama Clan's talent pool had rapidly dwindled. These days, hardly any members could become ninjas, let alone awaken a talent for genjutsu.
With their numbers in decline, the Kurama Clan could no longer protect its wealth. Even its sources of income were seized by powerful clans.
Without enough wealth, it became harder to support ninjas, which only worsened tensions within the clan. They had no choice but to abandon some of their members.
Kurama Hidechi was one such unfortunate child. After his father and older brother died in battle, the Kurama Clan cast him out, and he survived only thanks to Yamanaka Chujiu's charity.
But fate was a curious thing.
His brief life of hardship exposed Kurama Hidechi to the "evil" of Konoha Village and awakened a long-lost talent for genjutsu.
At the very moment he formed a bond of faith with Yamanaka Chujiu, he even awakened the monster "Ido" within his heart.
Perhaps because it had awakened alongside his faith, the monster was unusually docile. It not only posed no threat to Hidechi, but became his most loyal partner.
This two souls in one body arrangement gave Kurama Hidechi access to an incredibly powerful genjutsu: Dream Entry.
Kurama Hidechi knew he had grown stronger, but had no idea just how strong. Though he was willing to die for Yamanaka Chujiu, he still felt he couldn't shoulder the responsibility the leader had entrusted to him.
Yamanaka Chujiu had to explain why he had chosen Hidechi.
The Rising Sun Organization was making a profit, but it wasn't much. Orochimaru's reputation kept most of the clans at bay.
But as the returns from the terraced fields and refined salt grew, there would come a day when even Orochimaru couldn't protect them.
Yamanaka Chujiu's solution was simple: "We have to make sure the ninja clans in the village don't know how much money the Rising Sun Organization can make."
Kurama Hidechi looked completely bewildered. "What am I supposed to do?"
Chujiu snapped his fingers. "There are only four clans bold enough to disregard Teacher Orochimaru's warning and covet our money: the Sarutobi, Shimura, Utatane, and Mitokado."
"But these powerful clans have been on top for so long that they've gotten too comfortable. They won't take kids like us seriously, and they won't spy on us themselves. They'll just spend a little money to buy off some Genin and have them snoop around."
When Kurama Hidechi heard that his targets were Genin, he felt considerably relieved.
Still, he lacked confidence. "But I can't weave real memories for people like the leader does, and I don't know how to implant a Thought Seal, either..."
Yano Shoichi said, "You don't have to change the memories of Konoha's Genin. You just have to take them into your dreams."
"Let them experience the Execution Line we've endured in their dreams. Let them see the hell of the Shanty Town. Then Konoha's Genin will know which side they should be on."
Mitsuki asked, "There are quite a few stubborn ninjas among Konoha's Genin, like Senior Maruboshi Kosuke and Senior Might Duy. What should we do if we run into them?"
Yano Shoichi replied, "Along with the misery of the Execution Line, show them how hard we in the Rising Sun work to live. The more optimistic a Genin has been about remaining a Genin for life, the more they'll empathize with us."
Kazamatsuri Harume asked Yamanaka Chujiu, "Leader, won't this make the Rising Sun Organization incredibly appealing to Konoha's Genin? What if they want to join us?"
Yamanaka Chujiu said, "The Rising Sun Organization isn't an elitist group, but that doesn't mean we have low standards for our members' loyalty."
"If Konoha's Genin are afraid of the Execution Line and want to join the Rising Sun, then organize them into an outer mutual-aid group."
"As long as the Rising Sun Organization provides a safety net for the Genin, they should be willing to keep us a secret from their superiors."
"After all, those missions pay only a few hundred ryō a day. Who'd risk their life for that?"
The team leaders were all stunned. "A few hundred ryō a day?"
Yamanaka Chujiu shrugged. "The village recently put out new D-rank surveillance and reconnaissance missions. Each mission lasts ten days, and the reward is only 2,500 ryō."
The children were even more astonished. "D-rank mission rewards shouldn't be this low! That's below the minimum!"
Yamanaka Chujiu was unfazed. "Yeah. Commissioner Sarutobi is at work. They've driven mission rewards down."
"Bastards!"
The children all cursed in unison.
They were all children of ninjas, and they would soon become Konoha Genin themselves. Lower mission rewards threatened their own interests.
Yamanaka Chujiu, on the other hand, thought it was still tolerable. Compared to Commissioner Smith, who sold nine-dollar-and-ninety-cent mats for ninety thousand dollars, Commissioner Sarutobi still had room to improve his business skills.
The Fourth Hokage had taken office in recent years. Even without holding real power, he had still slowed the improvement of Commissioner Sarutobi's business skills.
When the Third Hokage returned to power, they'd probably see a sudden surge in those skills, making them the Third Hokage's biggest liability.
No matter how devious Danzo was, he was still only one person. His harmful influence was limited.
Besides, though Danzo denied everything to the bitter end, deep down he knew he was doing something wrong, so he was careful to cover his tracks.
Commissioner Sarutobi was different.
There were so many of them that their influence had long since spread beyond Konoha Village and affected the entire Land of Fire.
More importantly, they didn't think they were doing anything wrong. They simply saw themselves as using their authority for their own convenience, and so they committed their evil deeds openly and without shame.
This all-encompassing, far-reaching, systematic corruption was even more harmful than Shimura Danzo's, yet hardly anyone noticed it.
The reason was that such behavior fit the Shinobi World's traditions and its law of the jungle, making it incredibly hard to detect.
More importantly, the Shinobi World's Otsutsuki Era, Divine Shaman Era, and Warring States Period had all been violently destroyed. It had never experienced a civilization that completed its full cycle.
The Shinobi World's historical records were superficial, so its ruling class had no understanding of the dangers of endogenous corruption.
The common people at the bottom, who felt corruption threatening them, were usually executed outright. They had no chance to make their voices heard, much less draw lessons from their experiences.
The children of the Rising Sun Organization were the first natives of the Shinobi World to experience firsthand the power of the Execution Line, then struggle their way back into the world of the living.
That was why they could understand the evil of Commissioner Sarutobi and naturally took a stand against it.
Uchiha Shisui and Uchiha Itachi were part of the ruling class. Until they chose their own sides, Yamanaka Chujiu wouldn't discuss any of this with them.
The Dragon-Slaying Technique's secrets were too dangerous to the ruling class. They could easily push the young Uchiha into giving up on themselves and, in a desperate twist, practicing the technique in reverse to become Destructive Demon Dragons.
The Uchiha's boundless love, their powerful Sharingan Kekkei Genkai, and the secrets of the Dragon-Slaying Technique coming together to give rise to a Red-Eyed Capitalist Demon Dragon—and a "Struggle in the West Sea" naturally growing out of it—was all perfectly normal!
How terrifying.
Before you continue