Of course, some stubborn mercenary ninjas still refused to believe the warnings. They continued to refine their chakra with predictable and horrifying results.
Bones grew uncontrollably, bursting through every part of their bodies. The strange, grotesque bones erupted like vines or tendrils from their flesh, completely engulfing them.
In the end, their bodies were torn apart by their bones, which twisted and compressed them into grotesque shapes. It was as if flowers of bone were blooming within their flesh.
The white bone flowers were pristine and beautiful, but beneath them, the flesh twisted and contorted in a grotesque and filthy display.
One after another, these bone-and-flesh flowers bloomed among the crowd. When they reached their fullest, the bone flowers disintegrated into fragments, scattering fine bone dust into the air.
The faint floral scent returned, and hidden within the bone dust were tiny particles of the Bone Fragrant Taro. Now, having absorbed the energy of the ninjas, the pollen returned to Kimimaro's body.
The crowd, witnessing this bizarre sight, was too terrified to make a sound.
Muzake looked on, impressed.
Kimimaro's substitute ability was truly remarkable. If he kept absorbing energy like this, the Bone Fragrant Taro could one day cover the entire ninja world.
Fortunately, Kimimaro was on his side.
After the stubborn mercenary ninjas had all turned into fuel for the Bone Fragrant Taro, the remaining ninjas finally understood.
The Sand Ninjas meant business.
Everyone was scared.
What kind of poison could turn a person into a pile of bones? No one wanted to die in such a gruesome way, impaled by their own skeleton.
The surviving ninjas were pale and in shock.
Muzake scanned the crowd.
"Alright, that's enough."
"Capture those ninjas and let the civilians go."
Scorpion delivered another threat.
"To the ninjas sent by Momojiro, step forward now."
"The Sand Ninjas promise not to harm you."
"You only get one chance."
"If you don't come forward, don't blame us if you die."
"I'll count to ten."
"If you don't step forward by then, we'll treat you as stubborn enemies and execute you all."
Under the dual pressure of the eerie Bone Fragrant Taro and the towering Scorpion Gundam, no one dared to take their chances.
Before Scorpion could finish counting, all the surviving ninjas surrendered.
The Fifth Squad got busy, as one of their tasks was to guard prisoners.
The Fifth Squad restrained the ninjas with anti-chakra handcuffs and shackles before transporting them to a temporary camp.
Unlike previous prisoners, these didn't require Kabuto's special care. Though Kabuto was skilled, his success rate was only about ten percent. For every spy he turned, they lost ten capable laborers. Muzak didn't want to deal with that kind of trade-off.
Momojiro and his group simply weren't worth the cost.
Whatever they did, it was all futile in the end.
With the mercenary ninjas captured and the gathered civilians slowly dispersing, a small group remained.
Nocturne reported this to Muzake.
"My lord, a few people haven't left."
Muzake was puzzled.
"Why not? Are they planning to die with Momojiro?"
Nocturne replied, "No, my lord. They actually have deep grudges against Momojiro."
"Really?"
Muzake was surprised.
Nocturne explained, "Momojiro's army burned their houses and destroyed their homes to force them to come here. They have nowhere else to go."
"That's terrible," Muzake muttered, shaking his head. "Curse that Momojiro."
Nocturne continued, "So, my lord, what should we do with these 400 or so people?"
Muzake thought for a moment. "Ask if they have any relatives they can stay with. If they do, give them some travel money and send them on their way."
Muzak had done his best to limit the scale of the war, but ordinary people were inevitably caught in the middle. The travel money would be his way of compensating them.
After organizing everything, about 30 people still had nowhere to go.
"Nocturne, I'll leave them in your care."
Nocturne was taken aback.
"My lord, why us?"
Muzake thought to himself: If not you, then who? Certainly not the First, Second, Third, or Fourth squads. Those places aren't suitable for civilians.
"You're the city management squad. It's your job to help the people."
Nocturne couldn't argue with that logic.
It made sense.
Nocturne sighed. "So, what do we do with them?"
Muzake smiled. "Soon, we'll have a lot of prisoners. They can cook, boil water, and clean up. There's always something they can do."
He patted Nocturne on the shoulder.
"Keep up the good work."
Nocturne nodded reluctantly. "I'll be the best city management leader, always there to help the people."
With that, the roadblock incident was resolved.
After a short rest, the convoy continued forward the next day.
When Kurotsuchi and his group heard that Muzake had perfectly thwarted their sinister roadblock plan, they were stunned.
Kurotsuchi repeatedly asked the reconnaissance ninja, "Are you sure those ninjas turned into bones?"
The ninja confirmed, "I asked several villagers, and they all said the same thing. The ninjas hidden among the crowd suddenly turned into bones and then crumbled into dust."
Kurotsuchi was speechless.
He turned to Master Tamako.
"Master Tamako, have you ever heard of such a poison?"
Even Tamako, along with the other Jonin present, had never heard of a poison that could target only ninjas.
"How is that even possible?"