That gentle voice, soft as water, soon sounded beside her ear, "Alright, stop crying. If you keep crying, you'll turn into a little kitty with a messy face, and you won't look pretty anymore."
Karin stared blankly at Rengoku just like that. Her master's familiar gaze was as gentle as ever.
However, now that Karin had already grown up, facing such a gaze made a trace of shyness rise in her heart.
Her cheeks were red like ripe apples. She slightly lowered her head, not daring to look at her master again, while her heart pounded wildly like a horse that had broken free from its reins.
Back then, the young and innocent Karin would always cling to her master, noisily insisting that when she grew up she would become his bride.
Time passed quickly. In the blink of an eye, five years had gone by, and that once naïve little girl had gradually grown more mature in mind.
At this moment, she knew clearly that the words she said as a child had only been her own wishful fantasy.
Even though she had blurted out those feelings again just now because she had lost control of her emotions, it had only been an impulsive moment.
But when Rengoku really kissed her forehead, Karin's cheeks instantly burned with heat.
At this moment, Karin felt as if her mind had turned into a tangled mess, completely losing the ability to think.
After quite a while, she finally seemed to wake from a dream and asked in a quiet voice,
"Shishou… why did you push me away?"
Hearing Karin's question, Rengoku answered gently, "The reason I pushed you away is because I didn't know that five years had already passed here."
"For me, the time I experienced was less than a single day."
"So at that moment, I thought the one getting close to me was still the younger you."
Karin said softly, "But Shishou, I've already grown up."
Then she lifted the head she had lowered for so long and gathered the courage to meet Rengoku's gaze.
However, the moment she saw that Rengoku was staring at her without blinking, the small amount of courage she had just built up instantly vanished. Frightened, Karin buried her head back into Rengoku's chest again.
Rengoku tightened his arms slightly and gently patted Karin's back in comfort.
He softly replied, "Mm! Shishou knows you've grown up."
At the same time, Rengoku's thoughts couldn't help but churn.
Ever since he obtained all the memories accumulated by the clone during those long five years, Karin's unwavering and steadfast devotion had flowed quietly into the softest corner deep within his heart like a warm current.
As for Karin, he had always liked her from the bottom of his heart. However, in the past he had only regarded her as an innocent child.
After all, according to the Uchiha clan rules, marriage was allowed at eighteen.
And today, Karin had already turned eighteen.
In this somewhat early-maturing world, she had officially stepped into adulthood.
Yet Rengoku had always been used to forcibly applying the ideas and understanding from his previous life to the environment he was now in.
Before, he could still calmly believe that Karin was young and ignorant.
But now, no matter how he looked at it, he could no longer continue to treat Karin as a child who knew nothing about the world.
Just then, Karin took a deep breath. It seemed as though she had gathered her courage again. She lifted her head and stared directly at Rengoku, a trace of indescribable shyness and anticipation appearing in her eyes.
She hesitated slightly before stammering, "Then… Shishou… since I'm already an adult now… does that mean… does that mean I…"
At this point, it was as if all the strength in Karin's body had suddenly been drained away. The bit of courage she had just gathered disappeared completely.
Her cheeks were bright red like ripe apples, even the tips of her ears turning crimson, and she looked extremely flustered.
Seeing this, Rengoku couldn't help the faint smile that appeared at the corner of his mouth as he teased,
"What's wrong? Weren't you pretty brave just now? Why are you suddenly so timid now and don't dare continue?"
Karin couldn't stand being provoked like that. She suddenly stomped her foot and shouted,
"I'll say it!"
Then, blushing furiously, she gathered her courage and loudly said, "Shishou, I've already grown up! I want to become your bride!"
After saying that, Karin stared nervously at Rengoku. Her heart pounded so hard it felt as if it might jump right out of her throat.
Meanwhile, Rengoku continued to look at Karin with a smiling expression. His gaze was deep and gentle, making it impossible to tell what he was thinking.
Being looked at like that by Rengoku made Karin's heart instantly feel unsettled, and she had no idea what would happen next.
Just then, Rengoku slowly reached out a hand and gently began to stroke Karin's cheek.
This time, he didn't casually pinch her cheek like he did when she was little. Instead, he used his palm to softly caress it.
Feeling the warmth and touch of Rengoku's hand, Karin was first surprised with delight, but soon her face flushed even deeper with embarrassment.
After all, her master's actions this time were very different from before, carrying a faint sense of intimacy that was hard to describe.
Karin couldn't help feeling a little dazed, thinking to herself, 'Did Shishou accept me?'
Thinking of this, she unconsciously tilted her head slightly upward and gently rubbed against Rengoku's hand, as if she was completely addicted to the wonderful feeling of being touched by him.
At that moment, time seemed to stop flowing, and the whole world felt as though only the two of them remained.
However, just as Karin was immersed in this happiness, Rengoku's fingertips slowly began to move.
His fingers brushed across Karin's delicate face, finally stopping at a strand of hair that had fallen beside her ear.
Then Rengoku tucked that strand of hair behind Karin's ear, the movement gentle and natural.
After doing all this, Rengoku slowly lowered his head and moved close to Karin's ear, softly asking,
"But, before becoming a bride, shouldn't we start by dating first?"
Hearing this sentence, Karin's body trembled violently, and she froze on the spot.
After quite a while, she finally came back to her senses as if waking from a dream. Excited and stumbling over her words, she replied,
"Shishou!"
At this moment, Karin's heart was filled with joy and expectation. She felt as if she were inside a beautiful dream.
The sudden happiness that had fallen from the sky left her completely dizzy.
Although Karin had always regarded this as the goal she wanted to pursue, Rengoku accepting her so quickly and directly still far exceeded what she had ever imagined.
For a moment, shock and happiness surged into her heart like waves, causing her emotions to rise and fall violently, making it impossible for her to calm down.
Rengoku once again gently pulled Karin into his arms.
At that moment, time seemed to freeze. Everything around them gradually faded away, leaving only each other's breathing, the sound of their heartbeats, and that deep attachment.
Karin could clearly feel the warmth coming from Rengoku's chest. That burning heat passed through their clothes to her skin, as if it might completely melt her.
After all, during those long years in the past, Karin had silently waited here every single day, eagerly hoping for Rengoku's return.
Five whole years.
That was more than eighteen hundred days and nights.
Such persistent and unwavering waiting would probably move even a person with a heart of stone.
Facing a girl whose feelings were so deep, whose eyes and heart were filled entirely with him, Rengoku couldn't say any words of rejection, nor could he find even the slightest reason to refuse her.
At this moment, Karin's head still felt a little dizzy, as if she had drunk a jar of aged wine and become completely intoxicated.
Even so, she remained deeply immersed in the loving embrace her master had given her, enjoying this moment of warmth and sweetness.
Because she knew clearly that this time, her master no longer saw her as he used to before.
[🎉 Shoutout to TheGod and Reign for joining p@treon. Thank you very much.🤗]
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