Chapter 4: Hallucination

Naruto stood in the elevator, his posture rigid and his face devoid of any expression. He was looking like epitome of perfection, a mannequin of an ideal man. As the elevator doors began to close, a voice echoed through the hallway, "Hold on!"

Sakura, a cup of hot chocolate in her hand, rushed towards the elevator. Naruto, with a swift, smooth movement, inserted his hand between the closing doors, halting them. "Thank you," Sakura said, her voice filled with relief as she stepped into the elevator. The doors closed behind her, leaving them in the confined space.

Sakura took a sip of her hot chocolate, turning to Naruto. "Hi, good morning," she greeted, flashing her ID card. "I'm Sakura."

Naruto remained silent, maintaining his blank expression. He didn't even glance at her, continuing his act of the perfect man. Inside, however, he was anything but calm. His heart pounded in his chest, the sound deafening in the silence of the elevator. He felt suffocated, trapped in the small space with the girl he had newfound attraction. He was drowning in her presence, yet he had to pretend, to keep up his facade of perfection.

"I joined your team yesterday," Sakura continued, undeterred by his silence. She was a chatty girl, her words flowing freely. "I've heard that team leaders often flirt with girls, but everyone says you're different. Decent, sincere, hard-working, and you don't even sneak glances at girls." She paused, a straw in her mouth, giving Naruto a knowing look. "But I didn't need them to tell me that. I could tell just by looking at you."

Naruto coughed, a fake, forced sound. He didn't look at her, but inside, he felt suffocated. It was just the two of them in the elevator.

Sakura continued, "You're the perfect guy–" She stopped mid-sentence, turning to look at Naruto. She noticed his hand shaking slightly. "You're afraid of elevators, aren't you?" she asked in a lowered voice. Naruto released a sigh.

"See, how did I figure that out?" she said, a smile playing on her lips. "Mr. Perfect has a little defect." She pulled out her phone, aiming it at Naruto. "However, having a team leader like you, with only a little defect, I'm very lucky." She pointed her phone at Naruto to take a picture of him.

Throughout the conversation, Naruto maintained his blank expression, trying to appear as perfect as possible. But inside, he was a whirlwind of emotions. He was suffocating, yet he had to keep up his facade. He was the perfect man, and he had to live up to that image.

Naruto, standing beside her, had been silent throughout the ride.

She asked "Hey, I just praised you, don't you have any reaction for that".

Naruto turned to look toward Sakura. His eyes, usually guarded, now bore into hers. Before Sakura could react, Naruto's lips crashed against hers. It was sudden, unexpected—a collision of desire and surprise. Her mind went blank, and all rational thought dissolved. She in surprise couldn't do much and kissed him back, lips moving against lips.

Naruto's resolve had wavered. He had always been impulsive, always doing whatever his heart told him to do. But Sakura's warmth, her surrender—it was intoxicating. He wanted to forget the office, the deadlines, and lose himself in her.

The phone she had clutched had accidentally captured the photo of them kissing.

The elevator jolted, snapping them back to reality. The doors slid open, revealing the sterile hallway. Naruto pulled away, his breath ragged. Sakura's eyes were wide, her lips swollen.

Without a word, Naruto stepped out of the elevator. The doors closed behind him, leaving Sakura in a daze. She touched her lips, still tingling from the kiss. Anger surged within her—anger at herself for succumbing, anger at Naruto for sudden intrusion.

Her phone trembled in her hand. She stared at the image—their lips pressed together, a moment frozen in time. Sakura's cheeks flushed crimson. She wasn't the type to fall for impulsive gestures, but Naruto had shattered her defences.

With a primal scream, Sakura hurled the phone against the elevator wall. The screen cracked, rendering the phone useless. But the memory—the taste of Naruto's kiss—remained intact. Sakura vowed to confront him, to demand answers.

The restroom mirror reflected Sakura's flushed face—mostly because of anger. She scrubbed her lips with fervor, as if Naruto's kiss had left an indelible mark. She scrubbed her lips angrily as if to remove taste of his lips on hers. Sakura was angry; she was bewildered.

Leaving the bathroom, she marched through the sterile office corridors, her heels echoing her determination. Hinata sat at her desk, lost in a reverie fuelled by Naruto's photo on her PC. His enigmatic smile stared back at her, a siren call.

"Hinata," Sakura's voice cut through the haze. "Naruto kissed me."

Hinata's gaze shifted, but her daydreams clung to her like spider silk. "He didn't hug you, did he?" she asked dreamily. "Or confess his undying love?". She asked as if Sakura was telling her some kind of joke.

Sakura's frustration bubbled. "No, Hinata," she snapped. "He really kissed me."

Hinata's eyes remained fixed on Naruto's photo. "Because when I first met him," she said softly, "I also saw the same dream. He tenderly kissed me, hugged me with love. Not only me—whenever someone meets him, everyone experiences the same."

Sakura tried to convince Hinata. "No, Hinata, he really kissed me."

Hinata finally tore her gaze away. "He's Mr. Perfect, He wouldn't do that." she said matter-of-factly. Hinata returned to her daydream, unfazed."He's like that," she murmured. "Disturbs everyone, but no one gets their hands on him."

Sakura's frustration boiled over. "What do you mean? Is this my imagination?"

Sakura's frustration had reached its peak, before she could finish, Obito materialized beside them, like a spectre from another dimension. His white coat billowed dramatically. "No, hallucination," he declared, as if solving a cosmic riddle. "First stage—Naruto kissed you. Sign of first stage of hallucination."

Sakura's jaw clenched "what do you mean to say, I am mentally ill?"

Obito nodded sagely. "Exactly. Your mind gets into agitation, thinking and thinking about Naruto. What actually happens doesn't happen. What actually doesn't happen, happens."

"But—" Sakura began.

"Luckily," Obito interrupted, "you saying Naruto kissed you reveals your mental disorder."

Sakura's eyes blazed. "No, sir, he really kissed me."

Obito waved a dismissive hand. "Okay, okay."

He leaned in, eyes twinkling. "Did anyone see Naruto kissing you?"

Kankuro, who had been lurking nearby, chimed in. "Even Sakura wouldn't have seen it."

Obito raised an eyebrow. "How's that?"

Kankuro leaned in, conspiratorial. "Normally people close their eyes when they ki—"

Obito cut him off. "You close your mouth."

Kankuro clamped his hand over his lips, eyes wide. Sakura's agitation escalated. She needed answers, not this absurdity.

Obito pulled out his iPhone, inspecting it as if it held the secrets of the universe, trying to clean dust which can't even be seen "Sakura," he said, voice dripping with gravitas, "two questions. How do you feel when you're happy?"

Sakura's patience waned. "Sir, Naruto really kissed me—"

Obito laughed. "Oh, Naruto kissed you. That's how you feel?" He leaned in. "And when you're angry?"

Sakura's voice dropped. "I'm getting really angry now."

Obito's eyes sparkled. "Exactly. Do you feel like beating someone, destroying something? Like you want to—"

In a flash, Sakura snatched the iPhone from Obito's hand and smashed it to the ground. The screen shattered, and Obito clutched his heart, feigning heartbreak.

Sakura exited the room heading to her desk frustrated by their stupidity.

Kankuro deadpanned, "She feels like breaking cellphones. That is what she wanted to say"

Obito sighed dramatically. He turned to Kankuro. "Yours is the 9th floor, right?"

Kankuro nodded.

"Then get off," Obito declared, sweeping away like a melodramatic hero.

An early chapter, but shorter one . Just in hurry to put out the chapter.

Feel free to leave a review of how do feel like this story is progressing , and what improvements do you expect from my writing. I will try to improve as I said this is my first time writing and on top of that English is not my first language.

About upcoming parts , you will se some sasusaku stuff , but fanfic is still narusaku , and there will be a lot of narusaku angst. But don't worry story ending is happy narusaku.

See you soon. Bye.