Naruto: Call Me Akuma

Inside the arcade game store, Rafael saw various games he could play. He walked toward the counter to exchange his $1.00 for four quarters so he could use them in the arcade machines. 

After searching for a while, he finally decided to play Pac-Man. He had heard at school that it was a great game, so he wanted to try it. However, just as he was about to insert a coin, two boys approached him—one with a Latino appearance and the other African American. 

"You can give us that $1.00, and we'll let you play as many times as you want," the African American boy said. 

Rafael shot them a suspicious look. "Go away." 

The Latino boy smiled, his tone friendly. "Relax, amigo. We're trying to help you save money. You want to play Pac-Man, right? Let me show you a way to do it for free. Then you can decide." 

He then pulled out a quarter with a small hole drilled through the middle, a string threaded through it. Slowly, he lowered the coin into the slot and pressed the credit switch just before fully inserting it. Suddenly, the game started. The moment it did, he quickly pulled the string, retrieving the quarter. 

Rafael watched in shock. Seeing that they were telling the truth, he asked, "Who are you guys?" 

The African American boy grinned. "I'm Einstein, and he's Hosea." 

Before he could say anything else, Hosea smacked him on the back of the head. "Good job, you fucking Einstein. You just revealed my real name." 

Einstein shot him an annoyed look. "You never told me to hide it." 

Hosea stared at him for a few seconds before turning back to Rafael. "Alright, now you know our names. So, what's yours?" 

Rafael had nothing to hide, so he simply replied, "It's Rafael." 

Hosea nodded. "Okay, Rafael, if you give us your $1.00, we'll let you play as many times as you want." 

Hearing the offer, Rafael was tempted. He quickly agreed. "Alright, I'll give you my $1.00, but only after I get to play at least 20 games." 

Hosea shook his head. "That would take hours. We can't agree to that. How about this—you get to play five times for every $0.50?" 

Rafael thought about it. His father would be coming to pick him up in about half an hour anyway, so he wouldn't have time to play for too long. He nodded. "Okay, I accept." 

Seeing Rafael agree so easily, Hosea grinned widely. 

Rafael then started playing Pac-Man. However, within a minute, he had already lost three times. He quickly realized that he wasn't good at Pac-Man at all. Deciding to switch things up, he looked for another game. 

Hosea, getting bored of watching Rafael, suggested, "Why don't we play a two-player arcade game? It'll be more fun." 

Rafael agreed. Playing alone wasn't very enjoyable, but playing with someone else might be—at least, that was what he thought. 

The three boys wandered around the arcade, searching for a game. Eventually, they stopped in front of Street Fighter II Turbo. 

"Here it is—my favorite game! You're gonna love it," Hosea said excitedly as he quickly pulled out his quarter on a string. After a few seconds of his usual trick, the game started. 

"Alright, let's play!" Hosea said enthusiastically. 

After just ten minutes of playing, Rafael realized he couldn't beat Hosea at this game. He had already lost more than twelve times, and even Einstein was starting to get bored. 

"Einstein, do you wanna play?" Hosea asked. 

Einstein quickly nodded. "Yeah, I'll play." 

After a few minutes of playing against Einstein, Rafael managed to win twice. Seeing this, Hosea smirked. "You've played this game so many times, and you're still losing to a newbie?" 

Hearing that, Einstein became irritated and snapped, "Shut up! After I use my ultimate win move, you won't stand a chance!" 

Saying that, Einstein quickly pressed a series of buttons. A few seconds later, a new character appeared on the screen—a dark silhouette labeled Akuma. 

Seeing nothing wrong with it, Rafael continued playing. However, within just ten minutes, he had already lost twenty times. Frustration built up inside him. The character Einstein had chosen was ridiculously overpowered. With just a few hits, Rafael would die instantly, and every move he tried only led to his defeat. 

Annoyed, he finally asked, "How the hell did you unlock this character?" 

He had noticed that Akuma wasn't available on the regular character selection screen. 

From behind, Hosea spoke up. "Yo, Einstein, stop cheating and play fair." 

Einstein scoffed. "Shut up and mind your own business." 

Hearing that, Hosea grabbed the controller from Rafael and quickly performed the same secret code, unlocking Akuma for him as well. "There, now it's a fair fight. Give it a try," he said, handing the controller back to Rafael. 

Just as Rafael was about to start playing, he suddenly heard his father's voice from behind. 

"Rafael, it's time to go home! Come out!" 

Hearing that, Rafael sighed and turned to the two boys. "It was really fun playing with you guys. Thanks! Here's your $1.00." 

He handed over the money before heading back to his father. 

As he left, Hosea and Einstein waved, saying goodbye before turning back to continue playing. 

Rafael quickly grabbed the bag his father was holding, eager to see what was inside. As he opened it, he found a new pair of jeans and a shirt. His face lit up with happiness. 

"Thank you, Dad!" he said cheerfully. 

His father smiled and replied, "You're welcome." 

With that, they both left the mall and headed home. 

As soon as they arrived, Rafael's mother rushed over, excitement written all over her face. She eagerly hugged his father before exclaiming, "Honey! He finally agreed to sell his laundry shop for $120,000!" 

Hearing the good news, Rafael's father grinned and kissed his wife. "That's fantastic! We should celebrate tonight!" 

Rafael's heart swelled with joy. His family rarely held parties, but whenever they did, there was always plenty of delicious food. Today was already shaping up to be his best day ever—he had gone fishing with his dad, played arcade games with his new friends, and now, a party with amazing food awaited him. 

However, his mother's next words brought him back to reality. 

"But the store owner needs the money in cash within a week. If we don't pay him by then, he'll sell it to someone else." 

His father paused for a moment, thinking. Then, with confidence, he said, "That won't be a problem. I'll go to the bank tomorrow and withdraw the money." 

Rafael froze. His happiness quickly turned into shock. In all his excitement, he had completely forgotten that his parents were trying to buy a $120,000 store. 

Wait… $120,000? 

He had always thought his family was poor. How could they have so much money? Why had his parents hidden this from him? If they had this kind of wealth, why hadn't his father bought him new clothes and shoes earlier? 

With a million questions racing through his mind, Rafael finally blurted out, "Dad, how come we have so much money?" 

His mother and father exchanged a knowing smile before his father turned to him and said, "Well, son, we've been saving up for years to buy a laundry shop. Once we have it, we won't have to live in this rundown house anymore. We'll be able to afford nicer things—including new clothes for you. Aren't you happy?" 

Rafael's eyes widened, and a huge grin spread across his face. He nodded fiercely. 

No one will ever call me 'Beggar King' again! he thought to himself. 

--- 

If we reach 100 stones, I'll reward you all with a bonus chapter!