Dark Arts – A Naruto fanfic, by Rukoh.

A/N: Undoubtedly many of you will find this slightly distasteful at moments, it is M-rated after all, and will heavily feature a Dark!Naruto. Count thyself warned.

Note: Part of this chapter is written by the ever-lovely Amael the Chosen, as evidenced by the little preview in his 15th chapter of 'Next'. I do recommend that fic, by the way. He's also kindly given up some of his time to beta this chapter, many thanks :3

Chapter 1: Mother

A three-year-old Naruto sat on the cold wooden floor of his prison, arms wrapped around his knees as he huddled against the perpetual cold that seemed to seep in from the corners of the cupboard. He blinked every few seconds, vainly trying to get his eyes used to the impenetrable darkness of his surroundings while at the same time holding back his tears.

Every night he pleaded, begged even, to the orphanage matron for a different place to sleep. The ground in the hallway, a wooden chair, even outside in the cold... he implored her every day to let him sleep anywhere but in the dark, cold cupboard, all to no avail as was evidenced by the scowl that seemed permanently fixed on the matriarchal figure's face whenever she was looking at Naruto.

“Trash like you should be locked up in a cupboard all day, be grateful I let you have a meal every day!”

“The cupboard is too good for scum like you.”

“Don't complain, boy, or I'll have it in for you in the morn!”

“Don't waste my time, demon!”

Naruto whimpered softly, unseen tears spilling from his cheeks. The old lady had said Naruto was here because his mother left him. Why had his mother left him? Did she not like him? Was he really a demon? Questions like that haunted the three-year-old every night as he slowly cracked in the dark cupboard.

“Please come back, Mother. I promise I'll be good. I won't eat much, and I'll be really quiet... I won't even cry when you hit me, I promise. Why did you leave me? Why? Don't leave me here, please...” They became the nightly prayers of a broken child.

Every night... until his prayers got answered.

“What is your name, human child?” A deep, rumbling voice asked, seemingly coming from everywhere yet nowhere, making Naruto quickly look up in the darkness.

“N-Naruto, my name is Naruto,” the little Naruto said, hastily wiping away his tears as he began to morph his fear of the dark into hopefulness, previous crestfallen expression momentarily forgotten as a spark of hope lighted his face. “Ano, a-are you... are you my Mother?” Naruto whispered into the cupboard, not quite willing to believe just yet.

A dark ominous chuckle made Naruto look around again, but he still saw nothing but the inky darkness of the cupboard.

“If you are prepared to listen to my words of wisdom, and if you are loyal... Yes, then I will be your new Mother.” Naruto's head bopped up and down so quickly it seemed a miracle his neck hadn't snapped yet. “Good...” the feral smile and evil glint in the two blood red eyes of the Kyuubi that accompanied the word went unnoticed by the little Naruto.

“First we will get you to the Vixen. No true male should be subservient to a female.” Kyuubi sneered, “Then, we will make you a persona, yes... You will act like a stupid, clumsy, idiotic, smiling boy... You will hide your photographic -that means perfect- memory. You will make sure nobody expects you to be strong and smart, until I say so. Understand?” There was not an inch of confusion in the damp hallways of Naruto's mind, not a trace of doubt, when he clearly voiced his answer.

“Yes, Mother.”

Naruto smiled. For the first time in his life after his father sacrificed himself in front of his eyes, Naruto's eyes sparkled with happiness. He would do as Mother commanded, and he would exceed her expectations.

Roughly ten years later.

“Child, it is time to drop the persona we've so skilfully crafted over the years.”

“What would you have me do, Mother?” Naruto mentally inquired as he sat on top of his apartment, gazing up at the stars not unlike a red-haired Jinchuuriki was wont to do.

“Your boss-human is dead, yes? We should get out of this Hell-hole while there is no new boss-human, and while the chaos of the rebuilding still lasts.”

“Yes, Mother.” Naruto readily agreed, a perfectly content smile worming its way onto his face.

“There are some things I want you to do, first. Go to the boss-human's office and grab that forbidden scroll like you did for that idiotic teacher-human. Hold out your arm,” Kyuubi commanded. Naruto complied, holding out his arm in the dark of the night, not even thinking of questioning his Mother. She knew best, after all.

“Give me control, child.” Naruto didn't resist in the slightest as a tiny bit of youki trickled into his system, taking over the part of his brain that had to do with the movement of his muscles. It was small enough to go unnoticed by all the shinobi of the village, of course, Mother always made sure of that. Naruto watched curiously as the nails of his left hand started to grow by courtesy of some extra bit of demonic chakra. His right index finger then started to carve a symbol of sorts in his left forearm. Thick blood welled up quickly where the nail cut deeply into his arm, but Naruto neither flinched nor made a sound. He knew Mother better than that, after all. Before long a dark red seal was carved into his arm, not much larger than a cup of instant ramen. Naruto watched detachedly as his right hand started to make seals before it was pressed flat against the seal. The blood flashed white for a brief second before settling in pure black. No trace of the wound remained, save for the black seal that now resided on his arm. The youki receded into the seal on his stomach, and Naruto flexed both of his arms, getting back the feeling of his limbs.

“It's a pocket dimension, child. To use it you only have to hold the item you wish to seal above your arm, and will your chakra to pull it in. The reverse goes for getting items out of there, just mold some chakra and will said item out of the seal. I want you to seal the forbidden scroll first. Then, go to the weapon store, and steal a pack of 200 senbon, and as many kunai and shuriken as you can carry in your arms. I don't need to tell you not to get caught.” The Kyuubi said simply, his voice booming in Naruto's head. Naruto had long since figured out that while the voice seemed to come from everywhere at once, the fox really was speaking inside of his head. Being able to talk back mentally helped a lot, too, when his idiotic persona became a bit much to handle.

“Yes, Mother. I will see it done within the hour. Anything else?”

“Yes, child. I also want you to go to the estate of the white-eyed humans, and kill one of their guards silently. Take away his eyes, and seal them up as well. They might be useful in the future. Then, go to sleep. Konoha will be especially hectic in the morning, your master-human will be late as usual, that will work in our favour. Go meet up with your team, lure them away from Konoha, and take the red-eyes from the arrogant human on your team. If you do good tonight, I'll teach you a technique to handle your teammates without too much sound or trouble. I'll teach it to you before the morning comes, so you should not have any troubles.”

Naruto smiled a chilling smile, noting with glee that Mother sneered at the mention of the arrogant human on his team, too. He would show them all, he would show them what Uzumaki Naruto could do. After all, Naruto did not forgive and did not forget. Thirteen years of abuse at the hands of the village – it was only fair he would take some things as compensation now.

“Thank you, Mother. I will see to it, and I'll make you proud.” Naruto said, his eyes taking on a new dark glint. Eager for 'compensation', the new Naruto would make his Mother proud indeed.

Naruto was impressed. The Scroll of Forbidden Jutsu was a gigantic collection of work of arts (only geniuses could've possibly invented these awesome jutsu), but the jutsu Mother taught him exceeded even a brief peek in the gigantic scroll. In essence it was an extension of the new seal on his left forearm – all he had to do is use a fair bit of chakra, and then will the shape he wanted to summon out of there. Of course, he hadn't previously sealed said shape in the seal, but that hardly mattered when you had enough chakra to simply create the shape on the fly with said chakra. A summoning contract for summoning entities of pure chakra, so to speak. What's more, the limit of what he could summon was only the limit of his own imagination, coupled with how much chakra he had. Well, when you had enough chakra to sustain a hundred feet tall entity with nine tails, summoning a few shapes wouldn't be much of a problem.

He wouldn't have to bother with the stupid fat toads anymore, either. No, this jutsu was so much better than anything the perverted human could've possibly taught him. And he got to use it on the arrogant bastard and stupid squealing fangirl with ugly pink hair. Naruto felt himself grinning in expectation as he saw the sun rise over the horizon, signalling the beginning of a wonderful day. His dearest teammates would be getting it now, oh yes. It's a shame he couldn't yet hope to match that lovely sensei of his, but he had time. He still had to collect his father's jutsu scrolls after all, he'd be back in a few years.

Nodding to himself, Naruto jumped off his shabby roof, plastering a goofy smile on his face as he approached his team's regular meeting spot. It was a bit hard to hide the excitement he felt after passing by several fervently patrolling ANBU squads, undoubtedly seeking the thief that stole not only their most secret scroll but two of the most heavily guarded eyes as well. In comparison the goofy smile was almost pathetically easy to maintain, years of practise coupled with the thought of getting new eyes soon made for a rather broad smile, one that was incidentally similar to the one he'd worn for years.

“OHAYO, Sakura-chan!” Naruto waved faux cheerfully as he reached the wooden bridge where his team usually met up. “Oh, and mornin' teme,” Naruto added as an afterthought, earning him a mild glare of the famous Uchiha and a frown from Sakura.

Sakura still looked decidedly meek, Naruto decided. You'd think having two enemy nations invade your village, kill your Kage and a large portion of the shinobi populace would've made her a bit less... well, lame. Naruto mentally shrugged, after today it didn't really matter. He ignored the blatant fact that they didn't great him back as usual, despite his perfectly polite and cheerful greeting. Estimating that the Hatake wouldn't be here for another hour or two at the least, Naruto figured that he had a bit of time to lure them to a nice and quiet place.

Still having that sickening goofy smile on his face, Naruto turned to the pink-haired bitch that dared call herself a kunoichi. “Neh, neh, Sakura-chan! Did you hear, did you? There was this thief last night, the ANBU are trying to keep it silent, but I know 'cause I'm cool like that.”

Sasuke snorted, arms folded in typical casual Uchiha fashion, sending Naruto a disbelieving look. Sakura perfectly mimicked his disbelieving look, it really was sickening how much of the properties of the Sharingan she'd copied in an effort to look good for the arrogant bastard.

“Shut up, Uke-chan! I'm telling you, this thief stole the Forbidden Scroll, and also killed one of those white-eyed bastards!”

“The Hyuuga?” Sakura asked, still not quite believing him. No matter, her list of crimes was long since too long to continue keeping record anymore. Besides, after today it wouldn't matter anyway, Naruto reasoned.

“Yeah, yeah, that one! The thief actually stole the white eyes, cool huh?” Naruto continued with unrelenting enthusiasm.

“Naruto! Even if you are telling the truth, how the hell can you say that's cool! That's a person you're talking about, Kami, you are so sick!” Sakura yelled after a quick peek at her crush as if she was looking for a confirmation. She then proceeded to bop Naruto on the head as was her custom. “Stop telling such gross things in front of a lady!”

Naruto bit back his first response, and carefully warped his initial sentence (containing the words bitch, flat-chested, right, yeah and lady not necessarily in that order) to closely resemble something that they'd expect.

“I'm telling you, it really, really happened!” He sighed dramatically for extra effect, slumping his shoulders in an effort to look sad. His dearest teammates always got an extra kick out of putting him down if he appeared sad, so might as well indulge them today. It was their last day, after all. He perked up considerably within half a second, and stood in front of Sakura again, arms waving wildly to get his point across.

“Neh, neh, I found this really big scroll in the forest just outside of Konoha. It's really, really big. I didn't pick it up, 'cause I thought it might be trapped or something, but do you think it could be the Forbidden scroll? I know, I know, maybe we can learn something of it! With those techniques we'll be the best team of Konoha!”

Predictably, Sakura started ranting, claiming him to be an idiot for believing it to be the Forbidden Scroll, Naruto noted smugly that she didn't claim him a liar this time, though. Also predictably, Sasuke demanded to show him, which shut up Sakura quickly. Within ten minutes they were at Naruto's chosen spot. It was a clearing in the denser parts of the forests just outside of Konoha. The clearing was well away from the main roads in and out of Konoha, and even the smaller roads were at least hundreds of feet away. Nice and quiet, one could've even called it romantic. Naruto snickered at that thought.

Naruto stopped in the middle of the clearing, before turning around to his two curious looking teammates. Sasuke was scanning the clearing for any sign of a 'power-giving scroll', while Sakura was slowly inching closer to her crush, using his distraction to go unnoticed.

“I feel the need to tell you both something, first,” Naruto stated, as his goofy smile slowly but surely morphed into an evil grin. “You see, that foolish naïve stupid idiot called Naruto? That was a ruse. In reality, I've got a memory better than yours, Sakura-chan.” The suffix was spat out like a curse, and Naruto added a sneer worthy of any Uchiha for sheer measure. “The real Naruto is also strong. And willing, oh yes. The real Naruto does not forget... and does not forgive. Say your prayers, dearest teammates, because I'm the last person you'll ever see.” Naruto's eyes took on a hard glint, and his smile had slipped away, showing a cold face willing to follow up on his threats.

“As if, dobe,” Sasuke sneered, grabbing a kunai from the pouch on his leg while Sakura took a hesitant step backwards, wary of the cold, hateful Naruto in front of her.

A large wave of concentrated killing intent suddenly flooded the clearing, focussing itself on the two humans in front of Naruto. Both Sakura and Sasuke were suddenly unable to move a muscle. Their minds were screaming at them to run, to fight, to kill themselves – anything to get away from the pressure. They couldn't even do as much as puke, being rooted in fear as they were.

“Stand down, Uke-chan. This is a gift from Mother, the killing intent of the Kyuubi no Kitsune itself. More potent than anything that Snake-bastard could ever come up with... and much more useful for keeping you in line.” Naruto walked forward, making sure to keep the pressure up, just in case. He reached out and caressed Sakura's cheek. Her pupils were awfully small and shaking somewhat, Naruto noted with some amusement. “Useful, ain't it? Keeps Uke-chan there from peeing himself, too. We don't want him to stink in his last moments, after all.”

Naruto stepped back and took the headband from his forehead. Elongating one of his nails, he quickly swiped it across the metal, crossing out the Konoha symbol. “Missing-nin, I like the sound of that. Oh, and that scroll? I've stolen it, as well as the pathetic Hyuuga's eyes. I'll have to see whether I can make them work in conjunction with the pretty Sharingan, hmm.” Naruto mused out loud, sending a malicious grin to Sasuke, who had oddly enough managed to convince his body to quake all over even through the haze of the killing intent that should have pinned him down. Sakura looked ready to faint when Naruto's eyes glowed red as he stalked over to Sasuke. He gave Sasuke a light push, causing the genius Uchiha to land on his back, hands still besides his body, eyes fearfully trailing Naruto's steps as his body didn't move an inch if you discounted the constant shivering.

“Oh yes, Uzumaki Naruto does not forgive, Uke-chan... There is this new jutsu I've been meaning to try out. Give my regards to my biological mother when you see her in Hell.” Naruto wasn't smiling anymore now, the mentioning of his biological mother leaving a sour taste in his mouth, sapping away all humour from the situation. But he had a new Mother now, one that wouldn't leave him, no matter what.

“Make sure to spare his eyes, child, we'll need those, yes...”

Naruto bit his thumb, and streaked his blood along the sealing-tattoo that decorated his left forearm. Almost instantly a small army of toad-like creatures spawned everywhere around him. The toad-like things had rows of razor-sharp teeth in addition to their glowing red eyes. Not really much creativity beyond the usual toads, Naruto readily admitted, but it would do the job well.

Within seconds, approximately thirty toads of all colours and sizes pinned Sasuke's wretched body to the ground. Only then did Naruto ease up on his killing intent, confident in the knowledge that Sasuke wouldn't be going anywhere, and that Sakura would still be frozen in her own fears, pressure or not.

Uchiha Sasuke screamed in pain, bloody tears streaming down his face as the toad that sat upon his brow bit through his left eyelid. The last rational part of his mind tried to tell him that toads don't even have teeth through the haze of agony, but it would do him no good. Soon, all of his lifeblood dribbled from the hundreds of bites and tears in his flesh, slowly seeping away into the soil.

Uzumaki Naruto grinned wryly as his former teammate's body began shuddering in its death throes, the cries ceasing as the toads he had summoned and manipulated ate through the stuck-up boy's lungs and intestinal tract, blood readily flooding into his ruptured organs.

"Sakura-chan..." The blonde demon container chimed, turning his head slowly before walking to where the girl still stood frozen in horror. The pink-haired Genin shook her head in disbelief, the slow and drawn-out death of her crush being too much for her mind to handle. "You're looking a little pasty, Sakura-chan... It must be that diet depriving you of Iron. Let me help you with that..."

Sakura didn't have chance to scream or begin running before Naruto had bitten his thumb again, this time envisioning a whole different kind of creature. Almost instantly the ground beneath her feet became unstable as hundreds of small slugs were conjured forth out of his own chakra, their soft slimy bodies providing enough lubrication to send her slipping backwards onto her backside. Sakura looked on in horror, her mind not capable of rational though anymore, as Naruto grabbed a handful of the small slugs, his skin blistering as the acidic slime of the invertebrates ate into his flesh and the Kyuubi healed it just as quickly.

Sakura watched helplessly as Naruto approached. The slugs she had landed upon had burst, a fresh layer of their deadly slime burning through the back of her clothes and melting her skin and muscles within moments before it was neutralised through the dilution her liquidised tissues made possible. Naruto grasped the girl's mouth with his free hand and clasped it tightly, holding it open. Only now she screamed to no avail, and Naruto lowered himself almost lovingly close while straddling her incapacitated body.

"You really shouldn't diet so much, Sakura-chan... it makes you too weak to fight back... Perhaps if you had been anything but the pathetic excuse for a kunoichi you're now... No matter, let me help you." Naruto cooed, his mind thriving on the justice that was finally his.

With that, he began stuffing the life-threatening slugs into her mouth and pinching her nose closed to force her to swallow.

Naruto watched, fascinated, as Sakura's lips dissolved. The flesh bubbled and ran down her face in a disgusting parody of melting candle wax, and he sighed in contentment as her cheeks were eaten away and many of the slugs he had placed in her mouth slid out and landed next to her head, burning her hair as they went. He stroked his still healing hand over her forehead, brushing her fringe out of her eyes, and smiled as his eyes identified the next object to slide from her ruined face as her badly destroyed tongue.

Sakura had died in excruciating pain, unable to scream as her gullet and windpipe had been reduced to sore-ridden ragged holes in her carcass. Sasuke was naught but a skeleton with only some patches of ruined muscles and stray strands of sinews left now, the toads fighting amongst themselves for the last parts of his body, precious Sharingan-holding eyes left intact with only a minimal amount of flesh still surrounding it.

A pity, Naruto thought, he had so looked forward to forcing Sakura to kiss Sasuke's flesh-ridden face before he killed them for their disgusting behaviour all these months. Oh well... it just meant he'd have to try harder the next time he came back to "play" with the rest of those fools who deserved nothing more than the eternal suffering of their souls in Hell. It was only justice, after all, the long lists of crimes against him proved no less. They would soon see how much the container of the Kyuubi remembered of his youth.

And Uzumaki Naruto did not forgive.

A/N: That's it for now. I might either leave it as a one-shot, or add some more chapters. I don't really have long-term plans yet, but I suppose I could make Naruto set off a certain red-haired timebomb, among other things.

This fic was inspired partly by the inherent evilness of Amael the Chosen, and partly by 'Gray Skies Black' written by Inorganic Angel, a fic I also recommend, by the way.

Comments?