"Gaara, stop!"
Muzake shouted to halt Gaara.
"Everyone, raise your weapons."
There were more than 3,000 civilians in front of them. If they fired a single shot, who knew how many people from the Land of Rivers would hate the Sand Village?
Sure, the Sand Village was strong enough not to fear that kind of hatred or potential revenge, but hate is still hate. Even the rage of an ordinary person could spill blood.
There was no need for that.
Muzak didn't want to shed unnecessary blood. He wasn't there to colonize or plunder. With the vast technological gap between the Sand Village and the Land of Rivers, there was nothing worth colonizing.
Of course, if it were for fish and shrimp, that would be absurd. Killing and colonizing for such things would be far too costly.
As an intelligent businessman, Muzake wasn't interested in unprofitable deals.
Muzake flew directly in front of the gathered civilians. They revered him like a deity when they saw him hovering in the sky. Some even knelt in awe.
Muzake addressed them, "Citizens of the Land of Rivers, as I've already said, we are only here to deal with Lord Momojiro. This has nothing to do with you."
"You have no need to get involved. Please, go home."
However, the civilians did not move. Though their faces showed fear, they stood their ground, continuing to block the road.
Gaara, growing frustrated, said, "My lord, they are being stubborn. Shouldn't we just wipe them out? I could handle it alone."
Muzake sighed.
"The ninja world isn't just about fighting and killing. It's also about relationships and diplomacy."
"Unless you plan to kill every last person in the Land of Rivers, starting violence here will only create a river of hatred against us."
Gaara asked, "Then what should we do now?"
Muzake gestured.
"Let's retreat and set up camp. We'll figure out the situation first."
The Sand Ninja army withdrew ten miles and set up camp. Hidden among the civilians, some ninjas reported this information to Flower City.
Flower City, Lord's Mansion, First Pavilion
Kurotsuchi was in the middle of a meeting with the military leaders. They had just received the latest report from the front lines.
Kurotsuchi laughed heartily upon reading it.
"Master Tamako, just as you predicted!"
"Using the civilians as soldiers has truly stopped Muzake in his tracks."
Master Tamako, a figure in a monk's robe wearing a mask, scoffed.
"Hmph, the Kazekage is trying to divide the citizens from their lord. I won't let him succeed."
"Isn't he pretending to be all noble and righteous? Let his own righteousness tie his hands."
Kurotsuchi agreed wholeheartedly.
"Well said, Master."
"Hmph, he's clearly here to occupy our Land of Rivers, but he's pretending to be virtuous."
"If he kills, his mask will be torn off. If he doesn't act, he'll just wait for death."
One of the high-ranking leaders, a man with a Leaf Village rogue ninja headband, spoke up.
"Hmph, why bother with all this? Let me go kill the Kazekage. It would be simpler."
Kurotsuchi treated him with respect.
"Lord Hyuga Ningshuang, I know your archery is unmatched. But let's wait for our 'Hundred Dragons Plan' to succeed. If he's still alive by then, you'll have your chance."
Hyuga Ningshuang touched the sword at his waist and replied, "Fine. When the time comes, I'll show him the power of my sword, 'Reaping Rain.'"
Kurotsuchi then smiled at the others, "Our 'Hundred Dragons Plan' is going well. We will win this war."
Everyone laughed and celebrated together.
Back at the Sand Ninja camp, Muzake was holding a meeting.
"Nocturne, did your city patrol distribute the supplies to the civilians of the Land of Rivers?"
Muzak had noticed that the civilians blocking the road didn't have food or water. Unwilling to let people starve, he had instructed the Fifth Squad to distribute some supplies.
Nocturne replied, "We left the supplies in front of them, but no one dared to take any."
Muzake sighed. There were always troublemakers among the crowds.
Soon, intelligence agents like Jieshang and Sai returned with information.
"My lord, we've found out that these people are all villagers from nearby areas."
"They were forced to come here by the Land of Rivers' army. If they refused, their homes would be burned, and their fields destroyed."
Muzake snorted angrily.
"I knew it. Momojiro and his gang couldn't possibly have real popular support."
Kabuto's agents also brought back their report.
Kabuto said, "There are quite a few ninjas hidden among the civilians, preventing them from leaving."
Muzake asked, "What are they planning? Aren't they afraid I'll kill all these unarmed people in a fit of rage or just bypass them?"
Kabuto's glasses glinted.
"My lord, they don't care about that."
"As long as the civilians can buy them some time, that's enough."
Muzake frowned.
"What's their plan?"
Kabuto explained, "They are building dams along the Wangdu River and Moonlight Stream. They've gathered over a thousand ninjas there, and they're preparing to unleash a massive flood with Water Release techniques to drown our army."
Muzake cursed under his breath.
What kind of flood are they planning? What about the villagers living nearby?
There are despicable bastards everywhere.
In his mind, Muzake had already sentenced Momojiro and his cronies to death.
"First, we'll deal with the problem at hand," Muzake said.
Gaara asked, "Master, should we kill them?"
Muzake shook his head.
"No."
"We'll save them."
"Sasuke, bring Kimimaro here. We'll need his ability, Bone Spear Hyacinth, this time."
Did they think mixing ninjas among civilians would stop him?
They underestimated Muzake.