Summary: Dark Naruto Fic – Naruto goes bad and swears revenge upon his old village. Upon joining Akatsuki, teamed with Uchiha Itachi and Tobi, Naruto becomes a incredibly powerful shinobi with profound potential. What will he do once he encounters Konoha again?

'This village will fall … and from its ashes, a new one will arise, one that will shake the very foundations of the world …'

Disclaimer: I DO NOT OWN NARUTO and I NEVER WILL

PLEASE READ AND REVIEW. THANK YOU

Sanity's Upheaval

Chapter 1

Written by A. Leong aka Mindreko

'Get that demon brat!'

'Make him suffer as he made us suffer!'

Not this again…The constant thoughts kept pounding in the young twelve year old boy's head as he dashed through the village alleyways in an attempt to avoid the enraged villagers who pelted him with pans, sticks, rocks – anything they could get their hands on. Finally, Naruto managed to escape by transforming himself into a statue and he watched as the villagers ran past shouting abusive and very vulgar language. Naruto quietly made his way to the only solitary spot he knew, the Hokage Monument. As he settled himself on the Fourth's head, he felt calmer and began to reflect on the day.

6 hours earlier…

Naruto was busy completing a D-rank mission with Team 7. As usual, he was grumbling.

'Freaking hell, I hate looking for this stupid cat! What is it, like the seventh time its run away?' yelled Naruto in exasperation.

'Shut up Naruto, do you see Sasuke complaining? NO YOU DON'T! It's because he's the perfect man, and so handsome and talented, unlike you!' Screeched Sakura as her voice changed to a purr in describing Sasuke. Sasuke simply rolled his eyes and attempted to distance himself from Sakura who was now hanging on his arm.

'Naruto, in order to get better missions, we have to do these lowly missions first,' said Kakashi, contempt clear in his tone.

'KAKASHi-SENSEI, why don't you train me at all? You said you would teach me some new techniques!' whined Naruto. Secretly, Naruto knew Kakashi-sensei was training Sasuke at night because he could somehow smell them from his apartment.

'Naruto, I don't have time to train you, you know how busy Jounins are,' said Kakashi with a fierce look at Naruto as he thought that demon bastard, taking away my beloved teacher.

'Dobe, you're too weak to even bother with training,' Sasuke said in a drawling voice. His words were augmented by rigorous nods from Sakura.

The rest of the day passed with equal treatment towards Naruto.

END FLASHBACK

Are they always going to see me as a demon? Do they not see that I am merely the vessel of a demon, not the demon itself? How long does this folly go on? How long do I have to put up with all this? It isn't fair… thought Naruto as one lone tear slid down his cheek.

'NARUTO! ARE YOU UP HERE AGAIN?' yelled a voice coming up a stairway.

'Yes, Iruka-sensei,' said Naruto. He detected his scent a few minutes ago as the father-figure Chuunin made his way up to the Hokage Monument.

'Naruto, what are you doing up here?' asked Iruka in a sincere tone.

'I really don't want to explain right now. I'm feeling so lonely it's depressing. Why do they always see me for someone that I'm not? Every day I get attacked, my own team rejects me and treats me with absolute malice, all for something I had no control over. IT ISN'T FAIR!' screamed Naruto with the last words.

Iruka came over and attempted to wrap his arms around Naruto, but Naruto resisted.

'Look at me, Naruto. LOOK AT ME!' pleaded Iruka. Naruto slowly looked up and Iruka stared in shock. His normal sapphire blue eyes were tinged with red. After a moment, it went completely red. Iruka jumped bad as a huge red aura surrounded Naruto, spinning around him like a hurricane. ANBU around the village felt the huge charka pulse and immediately started off towards the scene of trouble. Sandaime-Hokage looked up from his paperwork and immediately donned his black Shinobi battle suit and flew out the window. Naruto, you fool! Were the villages right about you being the demon itself?

'WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING NARUTO? STOP IT!' Iruka screamed. Iruka suddenly felt a huge charka blast come towards him and he could not avoid it. Spinning like a top, he landed heavily across the monument. 'Naruto, I'm sorry that I couldn't always be there to protect you. I forgive you for this…I'm…so…sorry' choked Iruka, tears welling up in his eyes. The last thing he would see was the early morning sun as it rose up into the sky. It was the most beautiful thing he had ever seen.

Naruto never heard him as he jumped over the walls of Konoha Village, his heart half plagued by the fact that he killed one of the only people that really recognised him, and the other half enjoying the bloodshed. Naruto had no control over his body when he lost control, and certainly this time was no exception. Bloodshed also was not irregular. Naruto nimbly jumped from tree to tree, with an unknown destination. Little did he know, there were two silent characters, with dark black billowing cloaks with red marks over them whom Naruto was soon to encounter.

Back in Konoha…

Sandaime and the ANBU looked at Iruka's bloodied corpse. The ANBU stood silently, not altogheter familiar with the Chuunin teacher from the academy, but Sandaime wept openly, his heart mourning for the boy he once comforted over his lost parents, by the gravesite. So Naruto was a demon after all, thought Sandaime. I'm sorry, Fourth. I must exterminate him. With a hardened resolve and a sudden impact of crystal clear clarity, the Third Hokage looked at the Fourth's clay face. 'Sorry Fourth, it looks like I have to rid the world of your demon son', muttered Sandaime bitterly. He hated the prospect of denying Arashi's last wish, for his son to be recognised and praised, but Naruto had done nothing except annoying pranks…and finally this. A kill – recognised as treason and punishable by death in Konoha.

In an unknown destination..

Naruto stopped to take a break and stared at his bloodied hands. Feeling an uncontrollable emotion well up inside him, he threw back his head and let out a howl – a howl of mourning, for a lost comrade, for the many years of mistreatment and humiliation and above all, the undeniable horror of being recognised and branded as a demon, not a human child.

'I CURSE YOU ALL WITH EVERY FIBRE OF MY BEING!' roared Naruto to the heavens. Feeling fatigued, Naruto lay down but his nose picked up an unfamiliar scent. Suddenly, two tall figures in black cloaks loomed over him.

'Who are you? What do you want with me?' spat Naruto, his hands clawed into fists as he backed into a tree.

'We wish you no harm. I am Uchiha Itachi, a former Konoha ninja, and this is Tobi, my comrade. Together we are part of an organisation called Akatsuki. Please come with us. We have need of your abilities and in addition, we know the reason you have left Konoha. Come with us, and you can build a better future,' answered the shorter of the two.

Naruto stared, bewildered. I don't even know who these people want, but I've heard of Itachi and his role in the Uchiha massacre. Maybe my pathway lies also in darkness, since I participated in a lesser massacre. After a rush of a sharpened resolve, Naruto stood up. The two Akatsuki members nodded, satisfied, and both placed their hands on Naruto's shoulders. The trio disappeared into the darkness of the night; they were not seen in that area for many a year.