Chapter 7: Hinata's Change

  Hinata stood beneath the rge tree, forming the Ram hand seal, mobilizing the chakra within her body, and gathering it at the soles of her feet just as Izayoi had instructed.

  Immediately, she lifted her right foot and pced it on the tree trunk. Hinata felt as if her foot was coated in glue, sticking firmly to the bark. Feeling somewhat reassured by this, she then lifted her left foot onto the trunk as well. Just like Izayoi moments before, Hinata's body was now horizontal in the air.

  Holding her breath, Hinata took the third step.

  "Ah..."

  The next second, Hinata's expression changed in arm, and she let out a cry. Her feet, which had been stuck to the bark, suddenly detached, and her whole body started to fall towards the ground.

  Just then, two arms caught Hinata, steadying her body.

  Izayoi chuckled softly, "Don't be afraid. Like I said, I'll catch you."

  "Izayoi-kun, I'm sorry..." Hinata lowered her head, looking as if she had disappointed him.

  "Why apologize to me?" Izayoi reached out again and patted Hinata's shoulder encouragingly. "Failing is perfectly normal. Being able to stick both feet on your first try is already amazing. When I first practiced, it took me over ten attempts just to succeed."

  This was a lie! Izayoi had succeeded on his first try and had even walked many steps upwards. Neither Naruto Uzumaki nor Sasuke Uchiha had *Chakra Control* listed among their talent traits. In contrast, both Izayoi's and Hinata's *Chakra Control* traits were Blue rank. With this level of talent, forget tree walking and water walking; even Medical Ninjutsu, Sensory Techniques, Sealing Techniques (Fūinjutsu), and Barrier Techniques (Kekkaijutsu) were easier for them to learn compared to those without the Chakra Control talent. The Gentle Fist technique itself, which involves injecting chakra into the opponent's body, is a form of chakra control. As long as Hinata had enough chakra and someone guiding her, she should be able to learn tree walking quickly.

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

  "Mm." Encouraged, Hinata's confidence surged.

  She formed the hand seals again, gathered chakra at her feet, stepped onto the tree trunk, and soon her body was horizontal in the air once more. Perhaps it was the sense of security Izayoi provided, but this time Hinata didn't hold her breath. She took the third step very naturally. The previous issue – losing control of the chakra in one foot when stepping with the other, leading to imbance and loss of adhesion in both feet – didn't occur. Hinata maintained excellent control over the chakra in both feet, her soles sticking tightly to the trunk.

  Fourth step, fifth step, sixth step...

  She managed eight steps before finally losing rhythm on the ninth step. The chakra in her feet lost bance again, and her body fell.

  Miraculously, Hinata felt no fear this time, nor did she cry out. There was even a tiny flicker of anticipation in her heart.

  Indeed...

  Her body didn't crash onto the hard ground but nded in a warm embrace.

  Izayoi, having caught Hinata, held her in a princess carry. Looking down at her, he praised her generously, "Amazing, Hinata! Reaching that height on only your second try! You're truly a genius."

  "Hee hee..." Hinata didn't feel shy this time but ughed happily. The amount of praise she received today was more than she had gotten in the past few years combined.

  *Is this what it feels like to be acknowledged?*

  Hinata, whose personality hadn't yet become as cking in confidence and prone to giving up as her original story counterpart, instantly felt even more motivated and confident.

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

  "Alright." Izayoi saw the change in Hinata clearly. Seeing the girl become more confident, he felt happy for her too.

  *The esteemed young dy of a great cn, yet she became so timid and self-deprecating in the original story. It just shows what kind of high-pressure environment she grew up in.* Since he had come to this world and chosen to intercept Naruto and Toneri's influence on her fate, Izayoi was determined to change this girl. Even if she didn't turn into the delinquent leader from the Limited Tsukuyomi filler, she shouldn't waste her ōtsutsuki genes like in the original story. Starting with changing her personality, Izayoi would nurture her into the person he envisioned!

  Hinata's talent was excellent; after all, among the four girls of the Konoha 12 (Rookies + Team Guy), she was the only one from a prestigious cn, possessing the Byakugan, one of the Three Great Dōjutsu. What she cked was simply confidence. Once she regained it, she would bloom brilliantly.

  Tree walking and water walking didn't require rge amounts of chakra, only control. This control could either be gained through diligent effort or relied entirely on talent. In the original story, Naruto and Sasuke were examples of the former, while Sakura Haruno was the tter. Both Izayoi and Hinata belonged to the tter category as well.

  Having managed seven or eight steps on her second try, Hinata didn't regress on her third attempt. Instead, she improved again, taking over ten steps before falling once more. Izayoi still caught her steadily.

  By the fourth attempt, Hinata didn't fall again. She successfully climbed to the top of the tree.

  "Izayoi-kun, I did it!" Standing atop the tree, Hinata didn't pause to admire the view but immediately shared her joy with Izayoi below.

  "Awesome! Reaching the top on the fourth try! Hinata, you're much stronger than me!" Izayoi gave her a thumbs-up, praising her without reservation.

  "Hee hee..." Receiving praise again, Hinata ughed happily once more.

  Receiving guidance from both, the feeling Izayoi gave her was completely different from her father's. At home, learning Gentle Fist from her father, Hinata only felt nervous. Even when she completed the tasks Hiashi assigned, she wouldn't receive a single word of praise. Sometimes she would even be criticized because she didn't perform as perfectly as her cousin (Neji).

  In contrast, here with Izayoi, she received the praise she had always longed for. The rexation, different from tension, and the joy, different from apprehension, seemed to cleanse Hinata's spirit, making her actually enjoy training.

  Walking down from the treetop as if on ft ground, Hinata looked at Izayoi with anticipation. "Izayoi-kun, is water walking the same as tree walking?"

  "Mm, but it's more difficult." Izayoi nodded and smiled. "Tree walking just requires sticking to the trunk. Water, however, is fluid. To stick to the water's surface, your control needs to be several times better."

  "I won't teach you now, but you can go home and try it using a bathtub or a water basin. Wait until your chakra reserves increase a bit more, then I'll teach you proper water walking and the Shadow Clone Technique."

  "Mm-hm..." Hinata nodded repeatedly.

  Seeing Hinata so obedient, Izayoi finally revealed his "true colors." He grinned, "Next up, let's practice Taijutsu sparring! Let me experience your Hyūga Cn's pressure point strikes first hand."

  "Okay." The naive Hinata naturally didn't realize Izayoi's true objective. Having sparred many times with her cousin at home, she simply nodded obediently again, seeing nothing wrong with practicing Taijutsu sparring now, even though the academy hadn't taught it yet.