Hinata stood at the base of the tree, forming the Ram seal with both hands. Following Izayoi's instructions, she channeled chakra into the soles of her feet. She lifted her right foot and placed it on the trunk. Immediately, it felt like her foot was glued to the bark.
Feeling that stability, Hinata relaxed a little, then brought her left foot up as well. Just like Izayoi had done a moment ago, she was now standing horizontally against the tree trunk. Holding her breath, Hinata took a third step.
"Ah…"
The next instant, her expression changed drastically—she let out a small cry. The feet that had just been sticking to the bark suddenly lost their grip, and she began to fall toward the ground. But before she could hit the ground, a pair of arms caught her and helped her back to her feet.
Izayoi chuckled lightly. "No need to be scared. I told you I'd catch you."
"Sorry, Izayoi-kun…"
Hinata lowered her head apologetically, as though she'd let him down.
"What are you apologizing for?" Izayoi patted her on the shoulder again, offering encouragement. "It's totally normal to fail. The fact that you managed to get both feet to stick on your very first try is already really impressive. Back when I practiced this for the first time, I had to try like a dozen times."
(That was a lie, of course—Izayoi had nailed it on his first go and walked several steps up.)
Neither Naruto nor Sasuke possessed a "Chakra Control" talent entry in their systems. By contrast, Izayoi and Hinata both had it at Blue rank. At that level, whether it was walking up trees or walking on water—or even learning medical ninjutsu, sensory jutsu, sealing, or barrier techniques—everything came much more easily than it would for people without a chakra-control talent.
After all, the Hyuga Gentle Fist involves guiding chakra into the opponent's body, which is itself a demonstration of fine chakra control. As long as Hinata had sufficient chakra and a guide by her side, she should be able to master tree-climbing quite fast.
"Keep at it. I'm sure you'll make it to the top in no time."
"Mm!"
Buoyed by his words, Hinata's confidence soared. She formed the seal again, concentrated her chakra into her feet, then stepped onto the bark. Once again, her body was suspended in midair. This time—perhaps thanks to feeling secure with Izayoi around—she didn't hold her breath but took her third step more naturally.
Whereas before she'd lost her balance on the third step, now she managed her chakra just fine. Her shoes remained firmly stuck to the bark, taking her through the fourth, fifth, sixth steps… She got all the way to her eighth. Then on the ninth step, her balance slipped once more, and she began to tumble downward.
Strangely enough, Hinata wasn't afraid and didn't cry out. In fact, she felt a faint glimmer of anticipation. Sure enough, she didn't slam into the hard ground. Instead, she landed in a warm embrace.
Catching her in a princess-carry, Izayoi looked down and praised her without hesitation: "Nice going, Hinata. Getting that far on just your second try? You really are a natural."
"Hee-hee…"
She didn't get bashful this time; she actually looked happy. She'd received more compliments today than she had in all the past few years combined. So that's what it feels like to be acknowledged?
Since her personality wasn't as timid as it would later become in the original storyline, Hinata felt even more motivated and confident. Her eyes shining, she said eagerly, "Izayoi-kun, put me down! I want to try again!"
"Sure."
Izayoi watched the changes in Hinata and smiled to himself. He was genuinely happy to see her become more self-assured. For a noble heiress from such a prestigious clan, it was almost tragic how in the original timeline, she ended up so shy and insecure, implying just how much pressure she had grown up under.
Now that Izayoi was in this world—and planning to intercept what would otherwise go to Naruto and Toneri—he intended to change this girl's fate. Even if she didn't turn into the "delinquent queen" version shown in the Infinite Tsukuyomi dream, she shouldn't waste her precious Otsutsuki genes like she did in the original. First, he'd help her shift her outlook. He wanted her to grow into the person he envisioned.
Hinata really did have plenty of potential. Of the four main girls among the "Konoha 12," she was the only one who came from a major clan and possessed one of the three great Dojutsu. All she lacked was confidence. If she rediscovered that, she'd shine brilliantly.
Tree-climbing and water-walking don't require huge amounts of chakra, just strong control. You can either grind away at it, or rely on pure talent. In the original storyline, Naruto and Sasuke were more of the "hard work" type, while Sakura was "natural talent." Izayoi and Hinata fell into the latter group as well.
On her second attempt, Hinata had made it to the eighth step. The third time, she got even farther—ten-plus steps—before falling. Izayoi still caught her steadily. By her fourth try, Hinata didn't fall at all and actually made it to the top of the tree.
"Izayoi-kun, I did it!"
Standing on the highest branch, Hinata ignored the view and immediately looked down at Izayoi, wanting to share her excitement.
"Amazing! Reaching the top on your fourth try—that's way faster than I managed," Izayoi said, giving her a big thumbs-up without holding back his praise.
"Hee-hee…"
Hinata beamed again. Even though she'd been trained at home, the atmosphere there was completely different. Whenever she practiced the Gentle Fist with her father, all she felt was tension. Even if she completed his assignments, she'd get no compliments—often just more criticism because she didn't do it as flawlessly as her cousin Neji.
But here with Izayoi, she finally got the positive feedback she'd always craved. Instead of feeling anxious, she felt relaxed and overjoyed, as if her spirit had been washed clean—and she was starting to like training.
Walking down the tree as easily as if it were flat ground, Hinata looked at Izayoi eagerly. "Izayoi-kun, is water-walking the same kind of thing?"
"Yeah, but a bit harder," he answered with a nod and a smile. "When you climb a tree, you just stick to the bark, but water is constantly moving. Keeping yourself from sinking is way trickier—you'll need a lot more control."
"For now, I won't teach you that part. But you can practice at home in a bathtub or a big basin. Once you have a bit more chakra, I'll teach you the proper water-walking technique and the Shadow Clone Jutsu."
"Okay!" Hinata agreed quickly.
Seeing her so well-behaved, Izayoi finally let his true colors show. Grinning, he said, "Next, let's work on some taijutsu! I also want to check out the Hyuga clan's Gentle Fist firsthand."
"Alright!"
Hinata, who was still quite innocent, had no idea of his real intentions. She'd already sparred plenty with her cousin at home, so she didn't see any problem with practicing a style the Academy hadn't even taught them yet.