Hinata's Change

Standing beneath a large tree, Hinata formed the Hand Seal with both hands, mobilized the chakra within her body, and gathered it at the soles of her feet as Izayoi had instructed.

Then, she raised her right foot and placed it against the trunk.

Hinata immediately felt as though the sole of her foot had been coated in glue, sticking tightly to the bark.

Feeling this, Hinata relaxed somewhat and raised her left foot as well.

Just like Izayoi had done moments ago, Hinata's body became horizontal in midair.

Holding her breath, Hinata took a third step.

"Ah..."

The next second, Hinata's expression changed drastically as she cried out.

Her feet, which had been stuck to the bark, suddenly came loose, and she was about to fall to the ground.

Just then, two arms caught Hinata and steadied her body.

Izayoi chuckled. "Don't 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.

"What are you apologizing to me for?"

Izayoi reached out again and patted Hinata on the shoulder, encouraging her. "Failing is perfectly normal. You were already amazing to get both feet stuck on your first try. When I practiced, it took me more than ten tries before I succeeded."

That was a lie!

Izayoi had succeeded in one try and had even taken several steps upward.

Neither Naruto Uzumaki nor Sasuke Uchiha had Chakra Control among their Talent Perks.

Both Izayoi and Hinata, however, possessed Chakra Control at the blue level.

With talent at that level, not only tree climbing and Water Surface Walking, but even Medical Ninjutsu, Sensing Technique, Sealing Technique, and Barrier techniques were easier to learn than for those without Chakra Control talent.

Using Gentle Fist to inject chakra into a human body was itself a form of Chakra Control.

As long as Hinata had enough chakra and someone guiding her, she should be able to learn tree climbing very quickly.

"Keep going. I believe you'll reach the top of the tree soon."

"Mm."

Encouraged, Hinata's confidence immediately surged.

She formed the Hand Seals again, gathered chakra beneath her feet, and stepped onto the trunk. Before long, her body was horizontal in the air once more.

Perhaps because of the sense of security Izayoi gave her, Hinata did not hold her breath this time. Instead, she naturally took her third step.

The problem from before—where taking the third step caused her to lose control of the chakra in her other foot, disrupting her balance and making the chakra in both feet vanish—did not occur.

Hinata controlled the chakra in both feet well, her soles firmly adhering to the trunk.

Fourth step, fifth step, sixth step...

Only after completing the eighth step and taking the ninth did Hinata lose her rhythm, the chakra in her feet becoming unbalanced again as her body fell.

Strangely, Hinata was not afraid at all, nor did she cry out.

There was even a faint hint of anticipation in her heart.

Sure enough...

Instead of crashing onto the hard ground, she fell into a warm embrace.

Holding Hinata in a princess carry, Izayoi looked down at her and praised her without reservation. "Amazing, Hinata. On only your second try, you made it that high. You're truly a genius."

"Hehe..."

Rather than feeling embarrassed, Hinata smiled happily.

She had received more praise today than she had in all the previous years combined.

So this was what it felt like to be acknowledged?

Hinata, whose personality had not yet become as lacking in confidence and quick to give up as in the original story, became even more motivated and confident.

Her beautiful eyes sparkled as she unusually took the initiative. "Izayoi-kun, put me down. I want to try again."

"Alright."

Izayoi saw every change in Hinata.

Seeing the girl grow more confident, he was happy for her as well.

A Young Lady from such a powerful clan had somehow become so timid and insecure in the original story. It was clear what kind of high-pressure environment she had grown up in.

Since he had come to this world and had chosen to steal Naruto Uzumaki and Toneri's opportunities, Izayoi would change this girl.

Even if she did not become the delinquent big-sister type from Infinite Tsukuyomi, she should not completely waste the Otsutsuki Clan genes like she had in the original story.

He would begin by changing her personality. Izayoi would raise her into exactly the kind of girl he wanted!

Hinata was very talented. After all, among the four girls of the Rookie 12, she alone came from a prestigious clan and possessed the Byakugan, one of the Three Great Dojutsu.

What she lacked was confidence.

Once she regained that confidence, she would shine brilliantly.

Tree climbing and Water Surface Walking did not require much Chakra; what they required was control.

This control either came through hard work and relentless training, or entirely through talent.

Naruto Uzumaki and Sasuke Uchiha were examples of the former in the original story, while Sakura Haruno was an example of the latter.

Izayoi and Hinata were also examples of the latter.

On her second attempt, Hinata managed seven or eight steps. On her third, she did not regress; instead, she improved again, taking more than a dozen steps before falling once more.

Izayoi steadily caught her as usual.

By the fourth attempt, Hinata did not fall again. She successfully climbed to the top of the tree.

"Izayoi-kun, I did it."

Rather than admire the surroundings from atop the tree, Hinata immediately shared her joy with Izayoi below.

"Amazing. You reached the top on your fourth try, Hinata. You're much better than I was."

Izayoi gave her a thumbs-up, praising her without reservation.

"Hehe..."

Praised once again, Hinata smiled happily.

Though both involved receiving instruction, the feeling Izayoi gave her was completely different from her Father.

When receiving Gentle Fist lessons from her Father at home, Hinata only felt nervous. Even when she completed the assignments Hyuga Hiashi gave her, she never received a single word of praise.

Sometimes, she was even criticized because she had not done as perfectly as her cousin.

Yet here with Izayoi, she received the praise she had always wanted.

The ease that differed from nervousness, the joy unlike her usual unease, seemed to cleanse Hinata's heart and make her fall in love with training.

Descending from the treetop as though walking on level ground, Hinata looked at Izayoi expectantly. "Izayoi-kun, is Water Surface Walking the same as tree climbing?"

"More or less, but it's much harder." Izayoi nodded and smiled. "For tree climbing, you only need to stick to the trunk. But water is constantly flowing. To stick to its surface, your control needs to improve several times over."

"I won't teach you that yet, but you can go home and try it in a bathtub or water tank. Once your Chakra reserves are a little greater, I'll teach you real Water Surface Walking and the Shadow Clone Technique."

"Mhm, mhm..." Hinata nodded repeatedly.

Seeing how obedient Hinata was, Izayoi finally revealed his true colors and smiled. "Next, let me teach you Taijutsu Sparring! And while we're at it, let me experience the Hyuga Clan's Pressure Point Strike."

"Okay."

Innocent Hinata naturally had no idea what Izayoi's true purpose was.

Having already sparred with her cousin many times at home, she obediently nodded again, not finding anything strange about practicing Taijutsu Sparring that the academy had not yet taught.