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"Karin" in Japanese can also be written with the characters for "flower" and "pear", and the floral meaning of the "flower pear" is "the only love."
Karin was never "obsessed" because she was "shallow"; she became "obsessed" because she fell in love.
In the original story, during the Infinite Tsukuyomi, there was an extremely tragic memory of Karin. The content was as follows:
After the annihilation of their clan, Karin and her mother survived and ended up in Kusagakure, the Hidden Grass Village. There, because of their special ability to heal others by being bitten, mother and daughter were treated as universal medicine bottles by the villagers. Whenever anyone had a problem, they would come and bite them. One or two people might not be a big deal, but when the number increased to an entire village, this behavior became a form of extremely cruel abuse.
In the end, Karin's mother was literally bitten to death, leaving Karin alone to endure the torment.
Fortunately, before she was also bitten to death, Karin was found and taken in by Orochimaru, becoming his personal medicine bottle.
This experience was profoundly tragic, but because it was a memory within the Infinite Tsukuyomi, it was highly likely the opposite was true.
It's important to remember that Karin is a very intelligent and calm girl. In the original story, within Team Hebi/Taka, Karin often provided excellent advice, acting as a "strategist" type. How could such a smart girl be tormented by a village of people like some simpleton?
The Databook also stated that Karin was caught up in the war that destroyed her homeland but was the only girl to survive completely unscathed.
From this alone, it's clear the Infinite Tsukuyomi memory was likely false. Otherwise, if Karin's mother had also survived, how could Karin be called the only survivor from her homeland? And if Karin was nearly bitten to death, how could she be said to have survived "unscathed"?
In reality, Karin was born with sensory abilities surpassing even those of ocular techniques. During the war that destroyed her homeland, she used these exceptional abilities to sense the danger in advance and thus survive.
Orochimaru recruited Karin not to use her as a medicine bottle, but because he valued her extraordinary sensory abilities and intelligent mind. In the original story, Orochimaru himself stated that Karin wouldn't let anyone except Sasuke bite her.
This is also why, in the original story, Orochimaru sent Karin to work as a jailer in the Southern Hideout.
If Orochimaru truly saw Karin as just a medicine bottle, he would have locked her up for study like he did with Suigetsu, not sent her out as a guard.
Now, about Karin's "obsessiveness."
In the original story, Karin appeared to be infatuated with Sasuke's good looks, hence her unwavering loyalty.
But in their first meeting in the original story, Karin was indifferent to Sasuke, even somewhat disdainful.
The reason Karin fell for Sasuke was because Karin, being extremely sensitive to chakra, felt Sasuke's intensely cold chakra. Additionally, Sasuke killed people to protect her at that time.
This was the crucial reason Karin fell for Sasuke.
She was "obsessed" because she had fallen in love first.
This time, Karin chose to follow Kagaya, again not because of his looks.
It was because of resonance.
Karin had heard of the Uchiha clan's history.
When Orochimaru sent her to help someone, she hadn't expected it to be a member of the Uchiha clan.
When she sensed that icy chakra from Kagaya, she knew this person's past was likely not a pleasant one.
At that moment, Karin felt a strange sense of relief. Because... it turned out she wasn't the only one in this world with a tragic story.
So, next, she asked for Kagaya's name. And from the moment he answered, she understood his experience.
"Uchiha..."
That was her response then. What was Karin thinking when she said that? She wasn't thinking anything. Because once you've experienced it, you dare not recall it.
At that time, Karin bid farewell to Kagaya and walked towards the boat.
But in the end, she couldn't help herself. She still wanted to ask, or rather, she had to ask.
"Did you run away?"
That was the question Karin wanted to ask. When your clan was destroyed, did you run away?
The answer she received was: 'I didn't run. But I was powerless.'
What did Karin think upon hearing this answer?
No one knows.
Now, walking beside Kagaya, Karin smiled slightly.
"Do you know about the Uzumaki clan?"
Kagaya rolled his eyes. "Such a famous clan? No one wouldn't know."
Karin pointed to her own red hair. "Look, look at my hair. Do you wish for me to be from the Uzumaki clan?"
Kagaya was momentarily stunned. Why would he wish for that? He knew perfectly well Karin was from the Uzumaki clan. It wasn't a matter of his wishes. But if he could really change it...
"I'd rather not."
If possible, he wouldn't want to be a member of the Uchiha clan either.
Karin was taken aback for a moment, then smiled.
'Indeed... it's wonderful for the powerless to be together!'
Kagaya called himself powerless. Wasn't Karin also powerless? She too had failed to save her clan members.
After fleeing the war that destroyed her homeland, many people Karin met, upon seeing her red hair, wished for her to be from the Uzumaki clan. Because an Uzumaki's usefulness was immense, while just an orphan was of no use.
Kagaya was the first person so far who didn't wish for her to be an Uzumaki.
Only those who have experienced pain understand the value of happiness.
Only those who have endured similar suffering can truly understand each other.
The boat sailed farther and farther away, gradually fading from the sight of those on shore. The boat Karin should have been on.
Kagaya walked with his head down, seemingly deep in thought.
Haku stared at Karin, her eyes occasionally flickering with a trace of pity.
Seeing Karin's smile, Haku was momentarily stunned. She seemed to realize something, quickly adopting an apologetic expression, then gave Karin a thumbs-up. The "pity" in her eyes transformed into "admiration."
Only those who have experienced similar pain can understand each other. Haku remembered: people like them, who struggled desperately to survive, didn't need words like "how pitiful." They had heard plenty of those. What they needed were words like "Hang in there, you're amazing!"
Karin's smile grew even brighter.
'Indeed... being with these two is truly wonderful.'
The wind blew across the shore, lifting Karin's red hair. This was the first time Karin felt such genuine, heartfelt joy from deep within. This feeling of being understood with just a glance was simply wonderful!
Meanwhile, Kagaya was still walking with his head down, pondering something he seemed to have forgotten.