Beauty and the Beast - An Uchiha Madara Love Story [Edited]

Chapter 36 - Celebrations

Harumi pov:

"It's really amazing that you have the skills to keep this garden so lush, Harumi," Izuna said as we strolled through the gardens around our mansion.

"Thank you, Izuna, I'm glad you think so," I responded with a wholehearted smile.

"Why don't we sit down and have some tea?" he suggested when we came across the gazebo in the garden. I nodded in agreement and we made ourselves comfortable in the gazebo, seated opposite to each other. Izuna then called on some attendants to get us servings of the warm beverage.

More than two months have gone by since Madara became the ruler of the Shinobi World and established the rules and regulations that everyone had to follow. He was quite strict and ensured that no one even had the slightest thoughts of trying to step out of line or fail to follow the rules that he had put down. A few who did rebel in the beginning or failed to follow his rules to ensure the peace he had finally achieved were punished severely.

His punishments were quite terrifying, to be honest, and witnessing one such moments of his anger had left me quite disturbed. The way he had glared at the men he punished that day, his eyes red and swirling with so much malice, blood splattered around him and the screams of those who suffered is punishments had left me in a state of shock and fear of him. I had lost my appetite for the next few days and I woke up from disturbing dreams in the night but Madara was next to me the next instant, holding me in his arms and cooing soft words of comfort.

When anyone was to be punished now, I ensured that I wasn't there to witness it. I often spent time in the garden with Izuna or kept myself busy with pottery. I wasn't very happy with how cruel Madara was being when he punished those who didn't follow the rules and I had even voiced it out to him but he had said that it was necessary for him to be strict so that peace could be maintained. I was still against his methods but I learned to accept that this was how he would govern the Shinobi World and he wouldn't change it.

Izuna had arranged for a group of shinobi to work directly under Madara – they were responsible for handing in reports on their respective villages and bring in rogues and miscreants for punishment. They were quite afraid of Madara in the beginning but as the days passed, they seemed more and more like Madara's personal army who followed his orders without question. In fact, they were no longer following him because they were afraid of him but because they wanted to follow him. They had realized that everything he was doing did maintain the peace of the Shinobi world and they wanted it to remain undisturbed.

I continued to make ceramic ware and jewelry to sell. Well, Madara wasn't really okay with the idea of me working to earn my own money. As the wife of the ruler of the Shinobi World, it wasn't necessary for me to work. I suppose it was understandable in one way but I still wanted to be at least a little independent. I wanted to be able to earn money to buy things for myself – monthly groceries, clay, firewood and so on. Every single person worked hard to earn money and support their family and I didn't see any reason for me or Madara to get special treatment.

I mean, I wanted to be fair and helpful and not take anything for free. I was glad that Madara saw it through my perspective after I explained it to him and he agreed to let me sell my ceramics through someone posted in the local market and earn money for a good portion of our expenses.

We had attendants to take care of most things in the mansion – cleaning, laundry and other house chores – but I was the one who cooked our meals every day. Madara liked my cooking and I wanted to have something to do besides relaxing and pottery so I insisted on taking care of meals as well as occasionally doing some gardening and house chores. Well, Madara wanted me to live like royalty but also appreciated the fact that I liked being independent and keeping myself occupied with a variety of interests.