Rurouni Kenshin Vol. 9

Misao expects the villagers to welcome burial of their dead. Instead, they insist that touching the bodies will provoke Senkaku and put the living at risk. Their fear supplies a concrete reason for submission; it does not make the punishment just. Saito says few people will risk their lives for others' dignity, then describes the villagers with contempt. Kenshin acts rather than adopting that contempt, cutting the bodies down while the villagers accuse him of endangering them. The disagreement persists after his intervention. Saito also reports that the government has abandoned ten villages and explains why another army deployment would expose national instability. The scene makes both personal help and official restraint answerable to consequences, without claiming that one gesture has already freed the village.