Chapter 7: Hinata's Change
Hinata stood beneath the large tree. Forming a hand seal, she mobilized the chakra within her body and, just as Izayoi had instructed, concentrated it into the soles of her feet.
Then, she lifted her right foot and placed it against the tree trunk.
At that moment, Hinata felt as if the sole of her foot had been glued to the bark—it was firmly stuck in place.
Feeling this gave her some confidence, and she lifted her left foot and placed it onto the tree as well.
Just like Izayoi moments earlier, Hinata's body was now suspended horizontally against the trunk.
Holding her breath, she took a third step.
"Ah—!"
The next second, Hinata's expression changed dramatically as she let out a surprised cry.
The chakra that had been holding her feet to the tree suddenly gave way, and she started falling.
Just then, two arms caught her and steadied her body.
Izayoi chuckled softly, "No need to be scared. I told you—I'd catch you."
"I'm sorry… Izayoi-kun…"
Hinata lowered her head, looking as though she had let him down.
"Why are you apologizing?"
Izayoi once again patted her shoulder and encouraged her, "It's totally normal to fail at first. The fact that you were able to stick both feet to the tree on your first try is already really impressive. When I trained this, it took me more than ten tries to get it right."
(That was a lie.)
Izayoi had succeeded on his very first try—and had even taken several steps upward.
Neither Naruto Uzumaki nor Sasuke Uchiha had the "Chakra Control" talent trait in their profiles.
But both Izayoi and Hinata had chakra control at blue-level quality.
With talent at that level, not only was walking on trees or water much easier, but even training in medical ninjutsu, sensory techniques, sealing arts, and barrier techniques would be far simpler than it would be for people without chakra control talent.
Gentle Fist, the Hyuga clan's signature technique, involved inserting chakra directly into an opponent's body—making it a form of chakra control in itself.
As long as Hinata had enough chakra and someone to guide her, she should be able to learn tree walking very quickly.
"Keep going. I believe you'll reach the top of the tree soon."
"Mm!"
Encouraged, Hinata felt a surge of confidence.
She once again formed the hand seal and concentrated chakra into her feet, placing them against the tree trunk. Her body soon lifted into a horizontal position again.
Maybe because of the sense of security Izayoi gave her, this time she didn't hold her breath. She moved naturally into the third step.
The imbalance that had happened before—where the chakra in one foot lost control, leading to a full loss of balance—didn't occur this time.
Hinata managed her chakra flow well. Her soles remained firmly adhered to the bark.
Step four. Step five. Step six…
By the time she finished step eight and stepped into the ninth, her rhythm finally broke. The chakra balance in her feet faltered again, and her body began to fall.
But surprisingly, Hinata wasn't afraid at all this time. She didn't even make a sound of panic.
In fact, there was even a hint of anticipation in her heart.
As expected…
Instead of hitting the hard ground, she landed in a warm embrace.
Izayoi caught her again, holding her in a princess-carry position. Looking down at her, he didn't hold back his praise:"Amazing, Hinata! You made it that far on just your second try. You really are a genius."
"Hehe…"
Hinata didn't feel shy this time—she simply smiled brightly.
She had received more praise today than she had in all the past years combined.
So this is what it feels like… to be acknowledged.
She hadn't yet become the unconfident, easily discouraged girl seen in the original story. Right now, with this boost in self-worth, she was suddenly filled with determination and strength.
Her beautiful eyes sparkled. For once, she took the initiative and said,"Izayoi-kun, put me down. I want to try again!"
"Alright."
Izayoi could see all of Hinata's changes clearly.
Seeing her grow more confident made him happy too.
She was the daughter of a powerful clan, and in the original story she had grown up timid and insecure. That alone spoke volumes about the kind of pressure she must have endured in her upbringing.
Now that he had come to this world, and decided to cut ahead of Naruto and Toneri Ōtsutsuki, Izayoi had resolved to change this girl's fate.
Even if she didn't become the delinquent queen from the Infinite Tsukuyomi dream, she should never be the wasted potential shown in the original story—someone who failed to live up to the power of the Ōtsutsuki bloodline.
It would start with changing her personality.
Izayoi would raise her into the kind of person he wanted her to become.
Hinata had real talent. Among the twelve rookie girls, she was the only one born into a noble clan and inherited one of the three great dōjutsu—the Byakugan.
The only thing she lacked was confidence.
Once she found that confidence, she would shine brighter than anyone.
Walking on trees or water didn't require a massive amount of chakra—only the ability to control it.
That control could be honed through relentless practice, or simply granted through raw talent.
In the original story, Naruto Uzumaki and Sasuke Uchiha belonged to the first category—those who had to train hard to gain chakra control. Sakura Haruno, on the other hand, belonged to the second category—those born with excellent chakra control.
Izayoi and Hinata also fell into that second category.
On her second attempt, Hinata managed to take seven to eight steps. On the third attempt, instead of regressing, she improved even further—taking more than ten steps before falling again.
As always, Izayoi caught her steadily.
By the fourth try, Hinata didn't fall anymore—she successfully climbed all the way to the top of the tree.
"Izayoi-kun, I did it!"
Standing at the top, Hinata didn't even take time to enjoy the view. Her first reaction was to share her joy with Izayoi, who was down below.
"Amazing! You made it to the top on your fourth try—Hinata, you're way better than I was."
Izayoi gave her a thumbs-up, not holding back his praise.
"Hehe…"
Getting complimented again, Hinata laughed happily.
Though both her father and Izayoi had guided her in training, the feeling she got from Izayoi was completely different.
At home, when training in Gentle Fist under her father Hiashi Hyuga, Hinata always felt nervous. Even if she completed the assignments given by him, she never received praise.
Sometimes, she was even criticized—for not doing it as perfectly as her older cousin, Neji.
But with Izayoi, it was different—he gave her the recognition and praise she had always wanted.
Instead of stress, she felt ease. Instead of unease, she felt genuine happiness. These feelings washed over Hinata's heart like a cleansing tide—and for the first time, she began to enjoy training.
As she descended the tree like walking on flat ground, Hinata looked at Izayoi with anticipation and asked,"Izayoi-kun, is walking on water the same as tree climbing?"
"Yeah, but it's much harder."
Izayoi nodded and smiled, "With trees, you just need to stick to a solid surface. But water is constantly moving. To stay on top of it, your chakra control has to be several times better."
"I won't teach you that just yet, but you can go home and try it using a bathtub or a water barrel. Once your chakra capacity increases, I'll teach you real water walking and the Shadow Clone Technique."
"Okay, okay!" Hinata nodded eagerly.
Seeing her so obedient and earnest, Izayoi finally revealed his true intentions and smiled:"Next, I'll teach you some taijutsu combat! And while we're at it, let me experience firsthand your Hyuga clan's chakra point strikes."
"Alright."
Pure and innocent, Hinata had no idea what Izayoi's real motive was.
She had already sparred with her cousin many times at home, so she just nodded sweetly—without thinking that there was anything unusual about practicing taijutsu combat that wasn't part of the school curriculum.
(End of Chapter)