Hinata stood under the large tree, her hands forming the Boar Seal as she channeled the Chakra within her body, gathering it at the soles of her feet just as Izayoi had instructed.
Then, she lifted her right foot and placed it on the tree trunk.
Immediately, Hinata felt as if the soles of her feet had been glued to the bark, firmly sticking to it.
Feeling this, Hinata felt a bit more at ease and then lifted her left foot to step onto the tree as well.
Just like Izayoi had done earlier, Hinata's body was now suspended horizontally in the air.
Holding her breath, Hinata took her third step.
"Ah…"
In the next moment, Hinata's expression changed dramatically, and she let out a startled cry.
Her feet, which had been firmly stuck to the bark, suddenly lost their grip, and her entire body was about to fall to the ground.
At that moment, two arms caught Hinata, steadying her body.
Izayoi chuckled softly, "No need to be afraid. I told you I'd catch you."
"Izayoi-kun, I'm sorry…"
Hinata lowered her head, looking as though she had let him down.
"Why are you apologizing?"
Izayoi reached out again and patted Hinata's shoulder, encouraging her, "It's normal to fail. The fact that you managed to stick both feet on your first try is already very impressive. When I was practicing, it took me over a dozen attempts to succeed."
This was a lie!
Izayoi had succeeded on his first try and had even taken many steps upward.
Neither Uzumaki Naruto nor Uchiha Sasuke had the Talent for Chakra Control in their abilities.
But both Izayoi and Hinata had Chakra Control at the blue level.
With this level of Talent, not only were techniques like tree climbing and water walking easier, but even Medical Ninja Techniques, Sensing Techniques, Sealing Techniques, and Barrier Techniques were far less challenging to master compared to those without the Chakra Control Talent.
The Gentle Fist, which involved sending Chakra into the human body, was one form of Chakra Control.
As long as Hinata had enough Chakra and someone to guide her, she should be able to learn tree climbing quickly.
"Keep going. I believe you'll reach the top of the tree soon."
"Mm."
Encouraged, Hinata's confidence soared.
She formed the hand seal again, gathering Chakra at the soles of her feet, and stepped onto the tree trunk. Her body was soon suspended horizontally in the air once more.
Perhaps it was the sense of security Izayoi provided, but this time Hinata didn't hold her breath. Instead, she took her third step very naturally.
Unlike before, when taking the third step caused her to lose control of the Chakra in her other foot, leading to a loss of balance and the disappearance of Chakra in both feet, this time it didn't happen.
Hinata managed to control the Chakra in both feet well, and the soles of her shoes remained firmly stuck to the tree trunk.
Fourth step, fifth step, sixth step…
It wasn't until she took the eighth step and attempted the ninth that Hinata's rhythm faltered. The Chakra in her feet lost balance again, and her body began to fall.
Strangely, Hinata didn't feel any fear this time, nor did she let out a cry.
In fact, there was even a hint of anticipation in her heart.
Sure enough…
Her body didn't crash onto the hard ground but instead fell into a warm embrace.
Izayoi, who had caught Hinata in his arms, held her in a princess carry and looked down at her, praising her generously, "Amazing, Hinata. You reached that height on just your second try. You're truly a genius."
"Hehe…"
Hinata didn't feel shy this time. Instead, she laughed happily.
The praise she had received today far exceeded what she had gotten in the past few years combined.
Is this the feeling of being recognized? Hinata, whose personality had not yet become as lacking in confidence and prone to giving up as in the original story, suddenly felt more motivated and confident. Her beautiful eyes sparkled as she took the rare initiative to say, "Izayoi-kun, put me down. I want to try again."
"Alright."
Izayoi had noticed the change in Hinata.
Seeing the girl grow more confident, Izayoi felt genuinely happy for her.
A dignified young lady from a prestigious family, yet in the original story, she had become so timid and insecure. It was clear what kind of high-pressure environment she had grown up in.
Since he had come to this world and chosen to intervene in the lives of Uzumaki Naruto and Toneri Otsutsuki, Izayoi was determined to change this girl.
Even if she didn't turn into the rebellious big sister from the Limited Tsukuyomi, she shouldn't end up like in the original story, completely wasting the genes of the Otsutsuki Clan.
Starting with her personality, Izayoi wanted to shape her into the person he envisioned! Hinata had great potential, after all. Among the four girls of the Twelve Ninja, she was the one from a prestigious family, possessing the Byakugan, one of the three great Eye Techniques.
What she lacked was confidence.
Once she regained her confidence, she would shine brightly.
The latest novel is first published on 69shu.com!
Climbing trees and water walking didn't require a lot of chakra; what they needed was control.
This control could either be achieved through hard training or simply by innate talent.
In the original story, Uzumaki Naruto and Uchiha Sasuke were the former, while Haruno Sakura was the latter.
And Izayoi and Hinata were also the latter.
On her second attempt, Hinata managed to take seven or eight steps. On her third try, she didn't regress but instead improved again, taking over a dozen steps before falling once more.
Izayoi still caught her steadily.
By the fourth attempt, Hinata didn't fall anymore. She successfully climbed to the top of the tree.
"Izayoi-kun, I did it."
Standing at the top of the tree, Hinata didn't take the time to admire the view from above. Instead, she immediately shared her joy with Izayoi below.
"Impressive. You made it to the top on your fourth try. You're much better than me, Hinata."
Izayoi gave her a thumbs-up, not holding back his praise.
"Hehe…"
Hinata laughed happily again, delighted by the compliment.
Though both were receiving guidance, the way Izayoi made her feel was completely different from her father.
At home, during her Gentle Fist training with her father, Hinata only felt nervous. Even when she completed the tasks Hiashi Hyuga assigned, she never received a word of praise.
Sometimes she was even criticized because she couldn't perform as perfectly as her cousin.
But with Izayoi, she finally received the praise she had always wanted.
The relaxed atmosphere, so different from the tension, and the joy that replaced her anxiety seemed to cleanse Hinata's heart, making her enjoy training.
Walking down from the tree as if it were flat ground, Hinata looked at Izayoi with anticipation and asked, "Izayoi-kun, is water walking the same as climbing trees?"
"Yes, but it's more difficult."
Izayoi nodded and smiled. "Climbing trees only requires sticking to the trunk, but water is fluid. To stick to the surface, your control needs to be several times better."
"I won't teach you that now, but you can go home and try it in a bathtub or a water basin. Once your chakra reserves increase a bit more, I'll teach you proper water walking and the Shadow Clone Technique."
"Mm-hmm…" Hinata nodded repeatedly.
Seeing Hinata so obedient, Izayoi finally revealed his true intentions and said with a smile, "Next, I'll teach you a Taijutsu Duel! At the same time, let me experience the Pressure Point Strike of your Hyuga Clan."
"Okay."
The innocent Hinata, of course, had no idea
about Izayoi's true motives.
Having already sparred many times with her cousin at home, she still nodded obediently, not finding it strange to practice a Taijutsu Duel that hadn't been taught at school yet.
(End of Chapter)