Apple of My Eye

Chapter 6: From Madara's eye

Madara didn't know why he woke up this morning with a heavy feeling in his gut, akin to a ball made entirely of irritability and restlessness, which put him more on edge than usual. Perhaps it was because he had not been home for close to three months, or mayhap the frustration built upon by the close proximity of opinionated blue bloods and their raging hormones. Either way, Madara was long overdue for a vacation.

Fortunately, they were close to their final destination, the capital of Hi no Kuni.

Due to the high status of his current clients, Madara, out of all the elite Uchihas available, had to personally escort a group of teenage civilian nobles as they toured the land with their tutor and personal samurai bodyguards. From what he had gathered on this extremely lengthy journey; their intended purpose was to learn how to manage their respective fiefs by way of real, practical experiences. Whilst it was indeed a praiseworthy motive, his clients had underestimated the behaviour of hormonal teenagers under the supervision of one adult tutor.

Madara, with his outstanding looks, was unluckily the target of their raging hormones more often than not, even though he was older than them by a decade (he was turning twenty-six in a month). Out of the five teenagers he guarded, three had tried to get into his pants with unimpressive pick-up lines and coquettish actions, and the last two had skipped that entirely to try and simply grope him. The nerve. All five failed, of course, since Madara made it a point to dodge their attempts like the extraordinary shinobi he was.

Whilst Madara would have loved nothing more than to chop their limbs for their audacity, money ensured that Madara stayed his hand. Often, after every grubby paw that came close to touching his rear end, he had to firmly remind himself that killing them meant no income and that the hefty payment he would soon receive from this extensive mission was necessary for his clan to survive through this upcoming winter.

He blamed his father, whose accounting skills were so lacking that they still affected the clan years after Madara had taken over. Because of him, Madara grew into an absolute miser of an adult.

However, regardless of his mantra, their blatant disrespect still tested his tolerance, and Uchiha Madara was not known for his patience. These young nobles, ignorant of his reputation and strength due to their sheltered upbringing, only thought him a pretty face to tease and harass. They did not know the reason why their parents had hired only Madara as their shinobi guard, nor did they think to ask.

Sadly, throughout the entirety of the mission, Madara had not the chance to show them his prowess in the art of murder, all because his name alone was enough to clear their path of any pest and vermin. Thus, they continued their brazen game of 'who can get into the shinobi guard's pants first' whenever bored, oblivious to how tensed the samurais and tutor became whenever they played it. Madara could see the way the samurais would rest a hand on their respective handles, ready to protect their stupid young masters if Madara lost his temper. Not that they could, mind. They were lucky Madara favoured money more than his pride.

As they arrived at the capital, Madara planned his next move. In his mind, he put together numerous excuses to demand compensation. These dumb, hormonal teenagers better be prepared to receive one hell of a scolding from their parents, Madara was ready to monetarily drain their families dry.

xxx

Running through the forest at a speed no civilian could ever think to keep up with, Madara was, at last, free to travel comfortable as he headed home. No wary samurai colleagues to guard from, no hormonal and pompous teenagers to avoid, and no aggravating know-it-all tutors to listen to, just Madara and the trees. Finally.