Tears, oh the waterfalls. Love is blossoming, but I hate myself now. It's for the plot I tell myself, he needs to progress I tell myself.

3rd POV

-a few months later-

Naruto laid in bed looking up at the ceiling, his eyes holding little to none emotion. He felt the presence of the shadow behind him, but did nothing.

What was the meaning of life? He thought to himself as the shadow crept around his throat, and his airways were blocked off. Yet, he did nothing to stop it. Barely even batting an eye.

He was tired, he wanted to sleep in peace for once.  But he obviously couldn't.

He heard footsteps heading towards him, and felt the shadows disappear, allowing him to breathe again.

"Naruto, are you ok?" He saw Sasuke peeked into the room he hasn't left since yesterday. He sat up, the bags under his eyes very visible.

"I'm fine." Lies, keep on doing that, you'll only burden them if they found out. He heard the shadow speak, but ignored it.

"Yuudai is worried, you should eat. You don't look so good." Sasuke walked up to him, sitting on his bed.

"I'm not hungry." Naruto replied, and fell back onto the bed.

"That's not good, at least have some soup." Sasuke picked him up from the bed, giving him a piggyback ride to the dining table.

"Naruto, are you ok?" He heard Yuudai run up to him, and his eyes scanned the room, and he was let off of Sasuke's back.

"I'm fine."

"Stop lying to me!" Yuudai yelled, and Naruto looked up into his dark emerald green eyes, shocked.

"How long do you think I've been your brother? Do you seriously think I don't know you're lying?! Tell me what's wrong, I'll always try to help you! I thought it might've only been a phase, but I was clearly wrong. We're brothers, Naruto, tell me what's wrong." Yuudai begged, and held his shoulders with his hands.

Naruto thought for a moment, and he started to tear up.

"I-I just want to sleep." He mumbled, and looked down.

"What?"

"I just want to sleep, I'm so tired, Yuu-nii." A tear rolled down his cheek, and Yuudai forced Naruto to look up so he could examine how he looked.

He really did look horrible, dead almost lifeless eyes stared into his soul. The bags under his eyes made it worse, and his hair was a mess.

"Why can't you sleep, Naru-chan?" He asked, and Naruto took a few seconds to respond.

"There's always something there, waiting for me when I sleep. It would constantly stab me, it felt like torture, Yuu-nii. I don't want to sleep, but at the same time I do. I just want it to stop." Naruto started crying.

Pathetic, crying for a little thing like this. Who would want to be around a baby like you?

The shadow told him, and he stopped crying almost instantly.

"Ne, Naru-chan, come here." Yuudai opened his arms, and Naruto hesitantly walked over to him as he was engulfed in a hug.

"Try to take a nap, I'll be there." Yuudai led him to his room and tucked him in, watching from the side of the bed as Naruto fell asleep.

Now, let's see what's bothering him. He noticed that Naruto seemed uncomfortable after 5 minutes, and activated his Mangekyou Sharingan. He remembered, it was to protect Naruto, and it would be the only exception for using this. It had 7 spikes shooting out of his iris, much like needles.

"Yumemiru!" (Meaning- Dream watching) He whispered as his left Mangekyou Sharingan spun rapidly, and he closed his eyes.

When he opened them, he saw ice for miles and miles, but Naruto was only a few feet away, luckily.

"Yuu-nii!" He yelled out and ran over to him, his own Sharingan spinning rapidly in fear.

"Hi, Naru-chan, now, let's see what's bothering you. This is already unusual." Yuudai surveyed the area, Naruto clinging onto him the moment he felt what seems to be a blizzard begin.

"So, you brought a friend, huh. Too Bad!" The ice underneath them started to break as the winds picked up forming a blizzard that Naruto was too familiar with. Yuudai furrowed his eyebrows, and his right Mangekyou Sharingan starting to spin rapidly.

"Dorimuchenja!"(Meaning Dream changer, google translate really sucks.) The ice turned into soil and grass afterwards, and the shadow growled.

Then, the shadow started forming into a tree, and it struggled as it was being transformed. A spike formed and attempted stab Yuudai in the stomach, failing as it vanished and stabbed a rock instead.

"Damn you! If I knew you had those eyes, I wouldn't have taken you lightly!"

"And if I knew you were hurting my brother, I would've came sooner." Yuudai snarled as rocks stabbed the tree repeatedly.

The shadow hissed in response, feeling it's shadows heading back into it's seal unwillingly. If he were to be constantly hit like this, they would be sent back in the seal to heal and gather themselves.

"Remember this, I'll be back, this is only temporary!" It yelled as he disappeared, and Yuudai fell backwards taking a deep breath of air.

"Are you ok, Yuu-nii?" Naruto crouched down to him, healing him.

"I'm fine, sleep peacefully now, ok."

Just like that, Naruto could actually sleep, and Yuudai could smile knowing he helped his brother. But, Naruto woke up a few hours later, not used to getting much sleep. He overheard Aquilo in the halls, talking to Yuudai.

"So, tell me why that thing was in Naru-chan's dreams, and why we couldn't notice?"

"Right now, he's a shadow, but with time he'll grow stronger. He's known to usually only affect one person at a time, and he's a shadow as I said before, can you notice and name all of the shadows in the mindscape? The fruit to weaken him and make Naruto's mentality stronger....now's not the right time."

"What do you mean it's now the right time? I could only do so much, if it only took him 6 years to inflict mental torture like this, it'll most likely take half of that the next time. Not even I could send all his shadows back, something that thrives an area I control, they're scattered now."

"Yes, but that's better than him still being there able to torture. And, for the fruit to work, Naruto has to go through probably the most traumatizing moments in his life. Like killing a best friend by his own hands."

"And why is that? Why can't you just give him the fruit now?"

"You, no, we don't want his emotions to change so suddenly. If he ate that fruit now, that's basically us giving him depression. Severe depression. You know how cheerful he is now? If he ate it, it would practically cease to exist."

"Then why are you even giving him the fruit?!"

"I made this fruit specially. If he meets the all right conditions, he'll be given a second power. He would be able to control all of that negativity and lack of emotion at his free will, he won't be uncontrollably depressed like if he were to eat it now."

"I don't get it, how would it even work like that?"

"If he understood and felt grief, sadness, loneliness, and regret, he would learn how to cope with it. Which is why he would be able to control it after he kills a best friend, family, or one who he holds dear. Actually it's just if he just loses one in general, and he puts all the blame and burden on himself. Still the same affects. He would feel all of those emotions at the same time."

"But, why would you want him to go through things like that. He's your crush"

"I don't, but it's for the better. And, correction, was my childhood crush. I don't think you realized, but I'm a year older than you, and I've realized the huge age difference."

"So, he's not your crush anymore?"

"No, he is, but after all those years, it's weakened quite a bit."

"I...see. But you still blush whenever he smiles?"

"My, you certainly pay a lot of attention to me now, hm~?"

"W-What? No I don't! J-Just answer the question!"

"Well, while it is true I always blush when he smiles, it's more of a heartwarming, nostalgia feeling to it now. I don't feel that same lust and want to make him mines that I had back them, if I do, then it's very small. However, I would still die for him, much like you would. I still consider myself to 'love' him though."

"So...it's kinda like the relationship with an ex-lover? One that the cause of splitting up wasn't negative, and you're both still friends with that small, past love still lingering around?"

"Well..... if you were to put it like that, then I agree. It feels like love, but at the same time doesn't. That's very accurate of you, might you be seeing if I'm fit to be a love interest? You're cheeks are dusted pink, Yuudai. Hm?"

"N-no! I-I was just- what are you doing?!"

"Hmm, you smell vaguely of blueberries."

"Well o-obviously! I was eating a few earlier, s-stop smelling me!"

"I can't help it, you know those are my favorite, Yuudai."

"Then e-eat the ones I brought in earlier rather than smelling me!"

"Mm~, ok then. Tell Naruto I said good morning~."

"What? He went to sleep only a few hours ago." Yuudai watched as Aquilo walked towards the kitchen, and he looked at his hands, blushing slightly. Letting out a sigh, he turned around, jumping back at the sight of Naruto.

"N-Naruto?!"

"Ne, Yuu-nii, what were you and Aquilo talking about? I heard you guys talking about blueberries, fruit, love, and shadows-"

"N-Nothing! When did you wake up?"

"I woke up before you two talked, but I came out right after Aquilo left I think, since he wasn't there and you were just standing there."

"Well, uhh, is your appetite back?"

"Yep! I feel hungry now!"

"That's good, after eating, do you want to train with me and Madara again?"

"Yeah! Can Sasuke join?"

"He might after the academy."

"Oh, right, I graduated awhile ago. I won't see him as much."

"Mhm, now let's go eat. I made a berry pie, but Aquilo might've finished the leftover blueberries in the jar by now."

"Thank you for the food!"

-2 years later-

Ages:
Naruto: 8
Itachi: 12
Yuudai: 15
Aquilo: 16
Sasuke: 9
Shisui is fabulous, age doesn't have the power to tell him how old he is

"Weasel, Dog, Crow, Snake, I would like you to meet your new member."

On cue, a boy with black hair took a few steps forward, and bowed. His earring in his left ear shook slightly, and Kakashi noticed it was the same one that Crow has on his right ear.

"This is Fox, or Kitsune."

"I hope we can get along."

Naruto stood straight, and turned to Minato,

"I'll know if you break our deal." He eerily said, and Anko cheered on the inside.

Blazing red and eyes scanned the room, and Shisui and Itachi thought to themselves.

Maybe Kurama shouldn't have given him part of his personality... Well, at least it was temporary. But, only Kurama can make him stop being all emo and scary before the the jutsu reaches it's time limit.

"Of course, now, your first mission is..."

-time skip-

Naruto as his teammates slumped on the couches in ANBU headquarters, relaxing. Everybody took off their masks, and Naruto's crimson red eyes slowly turned black.

"Woah! That's cool, uhhh." Anko tried to remember his name, did he even introduce himself himself?

"In Naruto!" He cheerfully replied, and everybody except the two Uchiha here stared in shock.

"Naruto..." She trailed off, wondering why there was a sudden mood switch.

"He's, uh, half-ish bipolar." Shisui attempted to clear up the situation, grinning awkwardly when he saw Itachi face palm himself.

"Half bipolar, here I thought you were one of the strongest and smartest Uchiha, Shisui." Kakashi hid his mask away, and turned around.

"Hn! Hn hN HNn!" (I'm making their language even more complicated)

He watched unimpressed as the other two Uchiha in the room either burst out laughing or giggled.

"Itachi, translate."

"Hn. Hn! hN HNn!" He translated it back into their language, and Kakashi banged his head on the wall.

"Naruto!" His last hope brightened up when he yelled at him, and he failed to notice the slight red tint in his eyes, they weren't the Sharingan, it was a certain Uchiha in his mindscape that was in control.

"Hn? hNn hN." At the same time, Shisui laughed loudly sounding as if he's dying, and Itachi tried to suppress a laugh, but failing.

"What is it?!" He pulled out his hair.

"Huh?! What'd you say fluffy poodle?!" Itachi snickered as he translated Shisui's message.

"You called me a poodle Naruto?!"

"Wrong, it was Shisui."

"Well, just..." He had no words, and he slumped on the couch with Anko.

"Fluffy poodle~." He heard Anko say next to him.

"Shut up!"

-mindscape-

"Ugghhh, I hate puberty. Hormones!!" Yuudai yelled out in agony.

"I went through that thousands of years-"

"Shut it, ya old fox."

"Oi!"

"HnnN."

"HAHAHA!" Yuudai cackled.

-Another year later-
Naruto: 9
Itachi: 13
Yuudai: 16
Aquilo: 17
Sasuke: 10

As Naruto was sitting on the couch, braiding Kurama and Madara's hair, Yuudai was making waffles while Aquilo helped out with bacon. Sasuke was at the academy, suffering. Everything seemed peaceful, until Itachi walked in from the front door.

"Ita-Ita! How was your mission?" Naruto quickly finished the braid, and jumped off the couch running towards Itachi. He noticed the dark expression on his face, the bloodied hands, face, and clothes, and he knew something happened.

"Ita-Ita? Where's Shisui-nii? Did he have to go somewhere else?" Naruto started getting worried, what if Shisui got hurt and had to go to the hospital?

The missions given to them were high ranked, it isn't unusual to return with injuries, but for the blood to be on Itachi's hands and for Shisui to not be in sight...let's say he feared for the worst.

Itachi stared grimly at Naruto, and outstretched his hand with his clenched palm facing upwards. Naruto looked at it, curious of why he wanted to show him something so small that it fit in his palm. But he paled almost instantly after he heard what Itachi said.

"I'm so sorry."

He opened his hand, revealing Shisui's pair of their mother's earrings, blood staining half of it as it glimmered in the light.