Devan calmly left the Hokage Tower, slightly narrowing his eyes as he looked back. He observed the massive building for a moment before slightly shaking his head and continuing on his way.
"Naruto, huh?" He smiled, moving gracefully through the streets, passing by several shops in Konoha until he reached a building that functioned as a residence. The building had several rooms like small apartments for rent.
"In a way, Altair made the counter rise to 10 by hurting you. I wonder if I can?" Devan narrowed his eyes. He was about to enter the building when someone suddenly stepped in front of him.
"Devan!!" A beautiful woman spoke, with black hair, red eyes almost like those of the Uchiha clan, a determined look on her beautiful face, and a simply seductive body.
The man narrowed his eyes, slightly lifting his head to meet her gaze. "It's been a while, Kurenai. I see you improve every day…" he smiled. After all, the last time he saw this woman, her hips weren't so prominent.
However, Kurenai narrowed her eyes. "I've been trying to contact you for some time, Do you know that? I… am," She brought her hand to the back of her neck, fidgeting with her lips, seeming, to some extent, too nervous.
Devan noticed a bit of moisture on her clothes, just small drops that, judging by the scent, was perfume freshly applied. He guessed she had put it on quickly before leaving her house or something like that.
"Her clothes also don't seem usual; they're… a bit disheveled, she didn't have time to fix herself," he thought. He noticed the white dress with roses, which, although beautiful, had parts that weren't properly arranged. Her hair was combed but somehow messy.
"Did you leave u house in too much of a hurry?" Devan asked with a slight smile. Kurenai stopped moving and looked at him with surprised eyes.
She bit her lower lip while slightly lowering her head. "Kakashi told me you left the cemetery some time ago, and…" she murmured nervously, rubbing her right arm with her left hand.
"I'm sorry, Kurenai, I don't have time to go out," the man's reply was sharp and direct. Devan wasn't lying; he didn't have much time thanks to continuously practicing his necromancer spells, and now even less with this new mission.
"I mean, How long have you been trying to ask me out?" Devan took a step forward. "For several years. You always tried to get close to me for some reason. You would look anxious when I went on missions alone, and you saved my life on some occasions, but… I don't feel the same way about you." He placed a hand on Kurenai's shoulder.
At that moment, while his attention was on Kurenai, he almost suddenly noticed in his mind that the Fractured Mind Counter jumped from 10 to 33.
"What?" The man's gaze drifted, his attention on the counter, now at 33. Naively, a small smile appeared on his face.
Kurenai slightly raised her head, having heard Devan's words with a hopeless soul.
"Y-you," she felt offended, angry, scorned, and degraded. She had often received offers from many men to go out with her—men more handsome, wealthier, and with a brighter future than Devan—but she had rejected them all.
Her mind went back to a memory from a decade ago. Distraught over her father's death, Devan had saved her from suicide. He hadn't just sweetened her ears with promises of a happy future, but with genuine appreciation for her soul, not her body or pretty face. She had seen it in Devan's gaze a decade ago, a look of real appreciation for her.
Since then, she had fallen hopelessly in love. "I thought you were different…" she whispered softly. With multiple feelings swirling inside her heart, she forcefully pushed Devan's hand off her shoulder, looked him in the eyes sharply, and seeing his smile and distant gaze, a small needle pierced her heart a thousand times.
"Idiot!!!" she shouted, emotions of hatred and resentment surfacing through her skin, expressed in tears, rage, and eyes full of hatred. She screamed before disappearing from the spot.
"Fractured Mind: 89," Devan wasn't paying attention; he paid attention only to the Fractured Mind Counter, now at 89. A strange delight invaded his soul, making him slightly moan with pleasure.
He was engrossed in his own joy at having increased the counter's number. "Well, although, I still don't know what this Fractured Mind Counter does. What is it for?" he asked himself. After all, the counter was just there in his mind, reflecting a number.
Devan shook his head again, letting out a sigh. "Kurenai?" he asked aloud, not having paid much attention since he saw the counter rise. He quickly looked both ways to see if the girl had gone anywhere.
"There's no one. Did she leave? Hmph… well, it doesn't matter," Devan took several steps forward to enter the building.
"The counter went up because I rejected Kurenai. I think I heard her scream something, hmph," he let out a slight sigh. "Just as the name suggests, Fractured Mind, this counter must accumulate something like the mental pain I can cause, or something like that…" he guessed.
After all, the Fractured Mind Counter had risen for the first time when Altair, guided by his own words, tried to assassinate Naruto, and rose again when he personally broke Kurenai's heart.
"Both, although different, can be considered mental damage," Devan nodded to himself, accepting his own theory on how to increase the counter. "So… I must break others' minds? Sounds macabre, hehe."
Once he entered and received information about Naruto's room, he quickly went upstairs.
"Room 34," he told himself. Upon reaching room number 34, he could hear light crying coming from inside.
"The cry of a boy," Devan raised his hand to touch the door when he heard faint whispers. Although he couldn't clearly hear everything the boy inside was saying, he could still catch some words.
"Resentment, hatred, purpose, hunger, sadness." The boy's voice sounded fragile, depressed, yet Devan also noticed something else in that voice—a will unbreakable, a will that could endure for a hundred years without losing its shine.
"Fractured Mind Counter," the man whispered suddenly. An idea passed through his mind, and he couldn't help but smile with some weariness. "I've never been a necromancer who enjoyed suffering; I always gave my enemies a quick death in my previous world."
…
Devan knocked on Naruto's door.
Inside, Naruto was looking at himself in the mirror. Dark circles adorned his face despite his young age. One of his hands was stroking the whisker-like hairs on his cheeks. His yellow hair was messy.
At that moment, as Naruto looked into the mirror with some strange intentions, he heard a knock on his door.
He lifted his head, quickly turning to the right. "The old man shouldn't have come yet to give me this month's allowance…" he thought carefully.
"Then… Who is knocking on my door?" Naruto tilted his head, wandering briefly through his memories. But really, no one would come to visit him, and no one knocked on his door on a normal day.