"Izayoi-kun, that's great, we succeeded."
After leaving the clan grounds with Izayoi, Hinata could no longer contain her excitement, her voice trembling slightly.
"Calm down, be careful your father might have sent guards to secretly follow us and hear what you just said," Izayoi reminded her with a smile.
Hearing this, Hinata quickly covered her mouth with her hand and sneakily glanced around, looking utterly adorable.
"Let's go, I'll take you somewhere."
Izayoi wasn't sure if there were guards secretly following them, so he didn't dispel the Transformation Technique. Instead, he led Hinata away from the central street and headed towards the training grounds in the wilderness.
"Shadow Clone Technique!"
Once they entered the forest, Izayoi created a Shadow Clone, which then disappeared using the Body Flicker Technique.
Not long after, Izayoi dispelled the Transformation Technique.
Seeing this, Hinata's face lit up with joy. "Izayoi-kun, does this mean no one is following us?"
"Yeah, it's confirmed. No one is following us," Izayoi nodded with a grin. "Later, I'll teach you a technique. If you practice it at home and your father sees it, he probably won't stop you from going out anymore."
Hearing this, Hinata's joy deepened even further.
The plan was to transform into Yamanaka Ino's appearance to invite Hinata out.
Otherwise, if Izayoi himself went to invite her, Hinata would never agree to come out.
At best, it would be a wasted trip; at worst, he might be confronted and warned by Hyuga Neji, who had received orders, or even be moved to a different seat in class or transferred to another class altogether.
Children might not understand what was going on.
But Izayoi knew very well—this was the adults' way of handling things.
In this world where daimyo and nobility existed, the class divisions were even more pronounced than in his previous life.
Hinata was the young lady of a prestigious ninja clan, while Izayoi was just a nameless orphan from the common folk.
There was a vast chasm between them.
If Izayoi were a girl, there might still be hope for him to become friends with Hinata.
But he was a boy, and to prevent Hinata from developing feelings for him, as well as to avoid the risk of the Kekkei Genkai being leaked, neither Hiashi Hyuga nor the elders of the Main Family would allow Izayoi to get too close to Hinata.
Unless... Izayoi's value was extremely high.
If he were a civilian genius worth recruiting, he might qualify to marry into the family.
If he were like Uzumaki Naruto, a hero of the Leaf Village and the savior of the Shinobi World, then he could take the Main Family Lady away.
Until he could prove his worth, Izayoi had no choice but to resort to some tricks.
Yamanaka Ino was the young lady of the Yamanaka Clan, one of the new generation's Ino-Shika-Cho Formation. Even if her skills were lacking, she could still become a significant figure in the intelligence department through her clan's Secret Techniques, wielding real power.
The Ino-Shika-Cho Formation was a united alliance, and if anyone among the Nine Rookie Ninja had the qualifications to be friends with Hinata, it was undoubtedly Yamanaka Ino.
Only by transforming into Yamanaka Ino's appearance could he successfully invite Hinata out, and there was a high probability that no guards would follow.
If it weren't for the concern that his growing strength would widen the gap between him and Hinata, making it increasingly difficult to unlock the red Talent, Izayoi wouldn't have wanted to take such a risk.
Once the first major exam arrived and he secured the title of top student, he would have a bit more confidence.
However, compared to the red Talents of Naruto and Sasuke, Izayoi was more eager to unlock Hinata's red Talent.
As long as he awakened the Tenseigan, he would have nothing to fear.
So he didn't want to miss this holiday either.
Arriving at the abandoned training ground, Izayoi looked at Hinata and asked, "Hinata, have you learned the Three Body Technique yet?" "Not yet," Hinata shook her head and replied, "Father wants me to focus on practicing the Gentle Fist. Only when the school teaches other ninja techniques can I practice them in my spare time."
"In that case, I won't teach you the Three Body Technique either."
Izayoi smiled and said, "I'll teach you a skill that can improve your Chakra Control. Whether it's practicing your Clan Gentle Fist or learning the Shadow Clone Technique, it will make things twice as effective."
Hinata widened her beautiful eyes, looking stunned. "Izayoi-kun, you… you're going to teach me the Shadow Clone Technique?"
"That's right."
Izayoi nodded and said, "In the future, my main body will rarely go to school. You can come here to find me anytime, or practice the Shadow Clone Technique. Like me, you can secretly send a Shadow Clone to class while your main body comes here to train with me."
Hearing this, Hinata was deeply tempted.
Ever since she found out that Izayoi was attending class with a Shadow Clone, Hinata had wanted to learn the Shadow Clone Technique.
Not for any other reason, but simply because she didn't want to fall too far behind Izayoi.
But as she had said, Hiashi Hyuga only wanted her to focus on learning the Gentle Fist. He wouldn't teach her anything else, nor would he allow her to learn other things.
Not to mention the Shadow Clone Technique, Hinata didn't even know the Three Body Technique.
Now, hearing that Izayoi wanted to teach her the Shadow Clone Technique and that she could secretly come here every day to train with him, she felt both friendship and the freedom she longed for.
Naturally, Hinata was incredibly moved.
Seeing her expression, Izayoi knew exactly what she was thinking.
"Follow me, I'll teach you how to improve your Chakra Control."
Izayoi smiled at Hinata, then walked over to a large tree that would take several people to embrace.
He formed the Boar Seal with his hands and said to Hinata, "By forming this seal, gather Chakra at the soles of your feet, then overcome your fear, like this…"
Under Hinata's wide-eyed, astonished gaze, Izayoi lifted his right foot and placed it on the tree trunk.
As soon as his right foot touched the trunk, he lifted his left foot and placed it there as well.
With both feet off the ground, his body stood straight horizontally in front of Hinata.
Then, step by step, as if walking on flat ground, Izayoi moved from the base of the tree to the very top.
Turning to face Hinata below, Izayoi's body formed a right angle against the tree as he smiled and said, "Climbing a tree with your feet—this is the skill I'm teaching you."
"So… so amazing!"
Watching Izayoi defy gravity, Hinata was utterly stunned.
Climbing down from the tree, Izayoi smiled and said, "Climbing a tree with your feet is just the first stage. There's an even more difficult skill—walking on water."
"Once you master these two skills, whether it's the Three Body Technique, the Shadow Clone Technique, or even the Body Flicker Technique, none of them will be difficult for you."
"I… I can really learn this?" Hinata asked, lacking confidence.
"Don't underestimate yourself. You're the young lady of the Hyuga Clan."
Izayoi patted Hinata's shoulder and encouraged her, "Go ahead and try. Don't be afraid of falling. I'll catch you."
"If you fall too far behind, I won't wait for you."
The last sentence Izayoi spoke carried a hint of jest, as if he were teasing.
Yet, it was precisely this sentence that solidified Hinata's resolve, and she nodded firmly, "Yes!"
She had already disappointed her father; she absolutely could not let Izayoi down as well. Moreover, she didn't want to lose her only friend.
(End of Chapter)