Hy: YO!!

Naruto: chapter!!!

Hy: yeppers!

Itachi: y do u update ??

Hy: cuz I can

Itachi: but u don't even update often anymore...

Hy: -points to calender counting down to DEVIL WEEK-

Naruto: oh...haha u have finals to study for!

Hy: SHUT UP ASSHAT!!

Itachi: don't tell my uke to shut up!!

Hy: watever ita i'm starting the chapter now

Itachi: fine!

Disclaimer: I don't own naruto

Warning: if u haven't figured it out yet there is yaoi

--

The urge to gag was hard to quell as Naruto stepped though the door and into the kitchen. The smell of rotten meat wafted around the air and the damp smell of moss danced with it. His eyes watered as the smell grew stronger due to Kyuubi's unfortunate habit of altering his human senses into predicator ones.

The bars of the giant foxes prison squealed as they pushed out, “It's not my fault that your human senses were so weak.”

'Is very much so.'

“Prove it small one.”

'Shut up!'

“See no snappy comeback proves your all talk and no action.” Kyuubi chuckled.

'No it just means I know if I hit you I hurt my body.'

“Scary you are young one!”

'SHUT UP!'

“Hey you better pay attention to the kitchen that you'll have to clean.”

Mentally Naruto cringed and blinked his eyes. If anyone had been paying attention there would have been a seconds worth of blankness on the Uzumaki's face. Fortunately no one had been watching him.

Nose wrinkled and eyes watering Naruto scanned the frightening, unorganized, and brown kitchen noting the most of the surfaces were buried under dust and dirt. A few pans, caked in grease, sat upon the burners and several large pots soaked in sewage water.

“Do you...use this?” Naruto turned back to the Akatsuki members who all were looking at the blond with both horror and hope.

“Tobi never once use kitchen! Well I used it once to wash my shoes...” Tobi's mask faced Deidara, “And Sempia used it once to wash his cloak after I pushed him in mud.”

Well that explained how mud got all over the counters, “And when was the last time someone cooked in there?”

No one dared answer the Jinchuuriki for several moments. Slightly annoyed Naruto glared at them before turning back to the...kitchen. Seriously he was terrified at the idea of trying to save this place. But if he did then he would One: be occupied and Two: Itachi would not be able to, in any way, torment him.

“Well...Sakura you make something out of those eggs...and I'll clean this place up.”

Itachi's eyes narrowed as he caught the hint of safety on the blond's face. What was the blond planning on doing? Standing up the leader looked at the other members and the pinkette who looked horrified at the idea of cooking.

“Naruto-kun I'll assist you while the others eat. When everyone finishes we'll all help clan it out.” His eyes narrowed a bit as he looked at Sasori, “Make sure EVERYONE comes is that understood?”

Again no one argued or protested to those orders. All but Naruto who cringed, so much for being free from the Uchiha. “Alright then get to work everyone.” It was weird to watch everyone willingly listen to him without even arguing. If the blond had to deal with it all the time he would surely go mad.

“Naruto-kun.” He jumped before continuing to walk toward the center of the mess. “Naruto-kun?”

He looked back with surprise at the Uchiha who looked so out of place it was almost comical. “What are you going to help or not?”

“Don't worry I will. It's just I want to see what you plan on doing with this disaster,” the raven grinned, “After all you need to get this all clean in a few hours.”

Sweat ran down the blond's neck, “What?”

“We hope to be eating more than eggs for dinner. And in order to do that you have to clean like you've never cleaned before.”

--

“Hows the pots and pans?” Naruto shouted at a clone who's arms were covered with grease.

“Good have two left.”

“Awesome!” the main Naruto looked over at a pair of clones who were scrubbing the floors, “And you?”

“Good we could use a bit more super soap.”

“Alright,” he threw a bottle toward them and looked back at the counters which were nearly white. It was annoying though. For nearly two hours the clones and the original had been cleaning while a certain Uchiha stood in the corner, watching all four Naruto's.

Reflexively he glanced over to the raven who was watching him intently, his back leaning against the wall as a Naruto passed by to throw something in a large bin that they had unearthed. His ruby eyes gleamed against the white ivory of his skin, looking both frightening and glorious at the same time. But then again there was hardly nothing the Uchiha did that wasn't frightening or glorious.

“And done!” The clone who had been washing the pots and pans, “To the silverware!”

“We're done too!” The two who had scrubbed the floor spotless stood up and walked to the shelves that gleamed in the light, “We'll put stuff away now.”

Shocked a bit the main Naruto turned back to his work, which was done, and scrubbed the counters one last time.

It was kind of erry how fast his clones seemed to finish a task while he stayed on one. Maybe it was because he knew that, unless proven wrong, the counters were the one thing in this entire kitchen that needed to be spotless. Everything else was fine with a bit of dust but the counters. They would be used to chop foods, dry dishes, and most likely have raw food on their surfaces.

Experience also told him that, although he was already done, that counters needed to be run over a few times before the cleaner should quit. When he was younger Naruto hadn't cleaned his counter correctly and had gotten food poisoning. Not wanting to repeat the experience the blond always went over the surfaces at least three times.

But this counter...he was only going to go over it twice. The Uchiha watching him was making him paranoid and driving him crazy. Besides he still had to make dinner...with whatever was edible still.

--

Listening to other talk was a very boring thing to have to do. Sakura was tormenting herself as she tried to block out Deidara and Sasori's argument over art. It was ridiculous to her since they were both masters in their own way. Dei liked his art to be remembered and Sasori liked his to be forever eternal, simple as that.

Evidently the other members around the two were in agreement with her, all of whom were talking casually as they waited for a kitchen to be clean.

Still she was bored and tired of waiting, after all she normally wouldn't be stuck inside all day listening to chatter from strangers.

'There are so many times I wish I was smart enough to just stand up for myself...' She ran a finger across her lap absentmindedly as she slipped into her daydream of running for fun, rather than having to complete a mission and get back to Konoha as quickly as possible.

Konoha...

How would her friends feel right now if they knew she was being recruited for the Akatsuki? Of course they really didn't understand why the organization wanted Naruto but they knew that they would take him away.

They knew that these people were missing nin that needed to be caught.

Did that make Sakura one of them if she was here though? Would they be disgusted and not allow her to explain what was happening to her? That she was now partnered with a monster that she killed?

Although these questions ran through her head she already knew the true answer.

'They would not understand.'

After all who would listen to a traitor and her friends?

--

Sasori glanced briefly out of the corner of his eye and saw the look of despair on the girls face, while Deidara threw a small clay bird in the air where it exploded with brilliant red and blue sparks flying from it's burning body.

Her pink hair fell slightly as she looked back toward the main body of people and a small, sad smile pulled at her lips as she caught sight of something. Looking toward the direction she did he immediately knew what she was looking at.

Naruto was her closest friend and it was natural that she would show her feelings to him. After all he had had years to get to know her and vis versa.

Acknowledging this still sent a jealous pang across the puppeteers body as he tried not to realize how much the blond knew about her.

Her fears and strength's that weren't related to her career. He knew the Sakura who was just a ordinary teenager who had a life while he just knew the ninja.

--

The food that Naruto made was rather simple, eggs, but everyone seemed to understand that it wasn't his fault. It was Tobi's job to bring food and all he brought were eggs and nothing more. As punishment, Deidara had taken it upon himself to drill it into Tobi's head that other foods, besides eggs, were needed and that each time an egg was cooked without something else, the masked man would regret even going to sleep.

Overall it was rather amusing to Naruto as he watched another person get hit for his stupidity. He had served that role for so long, it was nice to see someone else take his place. But was he watched there was another feeling, that of some comfort.

It was something that he never thought would happen when he was taken by the Akatsuki. He didn't know that they were good people. Well with one exception, his sharp eyes flickered over to Itachi and away to focus on the ground. Itachi was going to use him for power.

“Naruto!” One of the members elbowed him, a grin on his face, “That was excilent!”

“It's just eggs Kisame.”

“But they were just cooked and not burned though.”

There were several supporting comments following Kisame's. It made Naruto feel uncomfortable though, he wasn't use to being thanked for anything.

--

Itachi had insisted that they leave when the dishes were washed, the entire time he watched the blond clean them. The raven didn't even seem to mind when Naruto insisted on cleaning then drying them, almost as if he knew the blond was doing everything he could to prolong going to sleep.

It wasn't until azure eyes were clouding that he had insisted that they go to bed. Willingly Naruto started to follow him but after awhile he started to loose his balance and Itachi slowed down enough so that Naruto could, if he wanted to, grab him for support.

Unwilling to do so Naruto jerked himself upright, much to quickly though and his balance abandoned him long enough that Itachi caught him, “You're not walking without me anymore Naruto.” and they had proceeded down the hall. Itachi had his arm wrapped around Naruto's waist when the blond started to fall asleep, his head falling to rest on Itachi's shoulder.

Like they were lovers.

The ever so calm Uchiha didn't seemed bothered by this, as his leadership instinct became more dominate in his personality, something that would never have happened before now. When he had agreed to take over for Pein Itachi hadn't thought about protecting or even knowing everything that went on in the organization. Now that he had done what Pein had failed to he felt a bit like a burden had been placed on his shoulders.

To protect his underlings with everything he had in his possession, no matter the cost.

He would protect the slumbering blond with every bit of his will.

--

hy: this is my lamest chapter ending yet...EVER!!!

Itachi: haha u suck!

Hy: SHUT UP WEASEL!!!!

Naruto: ...i just feel asleep??

Hy: shut up!!!

Itachi and Naruto: -grumble-

hy: well here's a chapter at long last and hope u liked it!!

Itachi: remember to review

Naruto: she them much