Hinata stood under the large tree, forming a hand seal as she focused her chakra according to Kenjiro's instructions, gathering it at the soles of her feet.
Then, she lifted her right foot and placed it against the tree trunk.
Immediately, she felt as though her foot had been glued to the bark, sticking tightly to it.
Feeling reassured, she lifted her left foot and stepped up.
Just like Kenjiro had demonstrated, her body was now parallel to the ground, suspended in the air.
Holding her breath, Hinata took a third step.
"Ah—"
The next second, her expression changed in shock as she let out a startled cry.
The feet that had clung tightly to the tree suddenly lost their grip, and she began to fall.
Just then, two strong arms caught her, steadying her body.
Kenjiro chuckled. "Don't be afraid. I told you, I'd catch you."
"I'm sorry, Kenjiro-kun…"
Hinata lowered her head, looking disappointed, as if she had let him down.
"Why are you apologizing?"
Kenjiro patted her shoulder encouragingly. "Failing is normal. The fact that you managed to get both feet to stick on your first try is already impressive. When I first practiced, it took me more than ten tries to succeed."
That was a lie.
Kenjiro had succeeded on his very first attempt and had climbed several steps effortlessly.
Neither Naruto Uzumaki nor Sasuke Uchiha had chakra control listed among their innate talents.
But both Kenjiro and Hinata had chakra control talents at a blue-grade level.
With that level of talent, not only was tree climbing and water walking easy, but even medical ninjutsu, sensory techniques, sealing jutsu, and barrier techniques would be far simpler to master compared to those without chakra control talent.
Gentle Fist, which involved injecting chakra into an opponent's body, was itself a form of chakra control.
As long as Hinata had enough chakra and proper guidance, she should be able to master tree climbing quickly.
"Keep going. I believe you'll reach the top of the tree soon."
"Mm!"
With his encouragement, Hinata's confidence soared.
She formed a seal again, gathering chakra at her feet before stepping onto the tree trunk, suspending herself in mid-air once more.
Perhaps it was the sense of security that Kenjiro provided, but this time, Hinata didn't hold her breath. She naturally took a third step forward.
Unlike before, she didn't lose control of her chakra and fall. She managed to maintain her balance, keeping her feet firmly stuck to the tree trunk.
Fourth step, fifth step, sixth step…
By the eighth step, she wobbled. On the ninth, she lost her rhythm, her chakra destabilized, and she fell again.
Strangely, she wasn't afraid this time. She didn't even cry out.
In fact, a small part of her was looking forward to it.
As expected…
Instead of hitting the hard ground, she fell into a warm embrace.
Kenjiro held her in a princess carry, looking down at her with admiration. "Amazing, Hinata! You managed to reach that height on only your second try. You're a genius."
"Hehe…"
Hinata didn't feel embarrassed. Instead, she laughed happily.
Today, she had received more praise than she had in the past few years combined.
So this was what it felt like to be acknowledged?
She wasn't yet the timid, self-doubting girl from the original story, and with this new motivation, she felt an even stronger drive to improve.
Her eyes sparkled with determination as she spoke up for the first time. "Kenjiro-kun, put me down. I want to try again."
"Alright."
Kenjiro observed her change in attitude closely.
Seeing her grow more confident made him genuinely happy.
She was the heiress of a prestigious clan, yet in the original timeline, she had become so weak-willed and insecure. It showed just how suffocating her upbringing had been.
Since he had come to this world and decided to challenge both Naruto Uzumaki and Toneri Otsutsuki, Kenjiro was determined to change Hinata's fate.
Even if she didn't become the delinquent queen from the Infinite Tsukuyomi illusion, she shouldn't end up wasting the powerful bloodline of the Otsutsuki clan like in the original story.
The first step was changing her personality—molding her into the person he wanted her to be.
Hinata had great talent. Among the four kunoichi of the Konoha Twelve, she was the only one born into a noble clan and possessed one of the three great dōjutsu, the Byakugan.
What she lacked was confidence.
Once she regained it, she would shine brilliantly.
Tree climbing and water walking didn't require vast chakra reserves—just precise control.
This control could be honed either through arduous training or through natural talent.
In the original story, Naruto and Sasuke had to work hard to develop it, while Sakura had an innate knack for it.
Both Kenjiro and Hinata fell into the latter category.
Hinata's progress was remarkable. On her third attempt, she managed to take more than ten steps before falling.
Once again, Kenjiro caught her effortlessly.
By her fourth attempt, she no longer fell. She reached the top of the tree successfully.
"Kenjiro-kun, I did it!"
Standing at the top, Hinata didn't take in the scenery around her. Instead, she immediately turned to share her joy with Kenjiro below.
"Incredible! You reached the top on your fourth try. That's even faster than me."
Kenjiro gave her a thumbs-up, full of praise.
"Hehe…"
Hinata giggled again, elated by his words.
The way Kenjiro taught her felt completely different from how her father trained her.
At home, her father's Gentle Fist training only made her feel anxious. Even when she completed the exercises he assigned, she never received any praise.
Sometimes, she was even scolded for not performing as perfectly as her cousin Neji.
But with Kenjiro, she received the encouragement she had always longed for.
Instead of tension, she felt at ease. Instead of apprehension, she felt genuine joy. This sense of comfort and encouragement made her fall in love with training.
Gracefully descending from the tree, she looked up at Kenjiro expectantly. "Kenjiro-kun, is walking on water the same as tree climbing?"
"Mm. But it's much harder."
Kenjiro nodded with a smile. "For tree climbing, you just need to stick to the bark. But water is constantly shifting. To stand on it, your control needs to be several times more precise."
"I won't teach you just yet, but you can practice at home using a bathtub or water basin. Once your chakra reserves grow a bit more, I'll teach you proper water walking and the Shadow Clone Jutsu."
"Mm-mm!" Hinata nodded eagerly.
Seeing her so obedient, Kenjiro revealed his true intentions with a grin. "Now, let's spar. I want to see how strong the Hyuga Clan's Gentle Fist really is."
"Okay."
Innocent as she was, Hinata had no idea what he was really up to.
Having sparred with her cousin Neji many times before, she simply nodded in agreement, not realizing that practicing advanced taijutsu techniques before the academy taught them might be a bit unusual.
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