The next day, Naruto rose before dawn. Looking at Karin sleeping soundly beside him, he shook his head with a smile. "You little fool. Caught you this time, didn't I? You're always sneaking into my bed to sleep. Honestly, how old are you now?"
Naruto carefully climbed out of bed and tucked the covers around Karin. Watching her sleep, he sighed softly, his eyes filled with reluctance, pity, and tenderness. Finally, he sighed again. "I'm sorry. It's not that I don't know how you feel. I've been running away all along, because I'm truly scared. I'm afraid of that feeling. Forgive me, Karin."
Naruto actually knew everything. He had simply pretended not to know all this time. Ever since Anko died, he had grown even more afraid, even deliberately cutting back on the time he spent with Hinata.
Across his three lives, his relationships had never seemed to go smoothly. Naruto had almost come to believe that anyone who stayed with him would meet a bad end. That was why he was so afraid now, and why he kept resisting Karin's feelings for him.
After putting on his jacket, Naruto picked up the flowers he had prepared the night before and left. What he did not expect was that, after he left, the supposedly sleeping Karin opened her eyes. Tears had slipped down her cheeks without her realizing it, but she quickly wiped them away and told herself firmly, "What are you crying for, Karin? You have to be strong. Didn't you know from the start how hard it would be to get Naruto to accept you? You've held on for so many years. What is there to be afraid of now?"
Karin got up, dressed, and quietly left shortly after Naruto. In truth, she had noticed something was off