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CHAPTER THIRTY FOUR ________________________________
"YOU'RE ALWAYS GONNA GONNA CHEAT, YA KNOW!" NARUTO LET out an exhausted sigh, looking at his mother. The two sat at Ichiraku just as they had done years ago, but the pair didn't notice. The intense game of tic tac toe was the only thing they had been focused on for the past hour. Specifically, the yellow-haired man insisted that they couldn't eat until he won a game.
"I'm not cheating, and I've never cheated." HANASENJU-HATAKE insisted, letting a laugh escape her lips as she watched her son place an 'o' down in a specific spot to start. "Now, focus. They can't keep the restaurant open forever, even if it's for the Hokage."
"Maybe I should start playing with Himawari." Naruto hummed. "Then I'd start to actually win a few."
"Exploiting your child? That's not the way I raised you." The woman tsked jokingly. "Besides, she's smart. She'll catch on quickly."
"Katsuo made sure of that." He muttered. "Always teaching her things when I'm not looking."
Hana put an 'x' down in one movement. "Don't be so mean."
"Mom, why can he be rude but I can't?" Naruto asked seriously.
"You're older."
"I'm not old!"
"I never said you were old!"
The bell on the entrance to the restaurant rang, and the pair looked over, wondering who interrupted their conversation.
"Speak of the devil." Naruto mumbled.
"I'd much rather be called a handsome devil, thanks." Katsuo grinned at his brother, clearly joking. Leaning on the counter next to his family, his honey eyes flickered to the scratch piece of paper between them. "This old game? Don't you ever get tired?"
"Old game?" Hana's eyebrow twitched.
The silver-haired boy let out a nervous chuckle. "No, of course not, Mom. It's so...new. And fun."
"I haven't beat Mom yet." Naruto explained to his younger brother.
"How long have you been playing?"
"Nineteen years."
Katsuo burst out into laughter, grabbing his sibling's shoulder to hold himself up. Reaching to wipe an imaginary tear from his eye, he shook his head. "I'm sorry. It's just the fact that you've been playing for the amount of time I've been alive did something to me."
"Yeah, it made you be an ass." Naruto flashed him a fake smile.
"Whoa." Katsuo gasped "Mom, you heard that. I know you did."
"I'm staying out of this." Hana told the youngest.
"Fine. I'll help you since Mom doesn't want to stick up for one of us." The teen decided.
"Wait, that's against the rules—!"
Ignoring her statement, Katsuo leaned over to whisper quietly into his brother's ear, making sure that their mother couldn't hear.
Naruto's eyes lit up, and he immediately reached for his pencil. Writing an 'o' down in a certain box, he instantly drew a line through his row, letting out a victorious laugh.
Hana smiled. "Well, you won. You cheated, but you won nonetheless." She said with amusement laced in her tone.
"That's the thing, Mom. When you have more people who care about you enough to have your back, things change. Ya know?"
NOTE hope you guys survived your first week back at school, lmao! if y'all wanna complain I'm giving you permission to complain in the comments. btw I've decided that I'm ending this book at chap. 40 like CHANGE. as soon as i finish this book up I'll be posting the hanaxkakashi book and the sakuraxfem!oc books. (p.s. to all the boys I've loved before is a bomb ass movie and I won't be convinced otherwise)
