Hinata stood under the tree, made a seal with her hands, mobilized the chakra in her body, and gathered it on the soles of her feet as Sanket said.
Then, she raised her right foot and stepped on the tree trunk.
Hinata felt the soles of her feet stick tightly to the bark like glue.
Feeling this, Hinata felt a little relieved, and then raised her left foot and stepped on it.
Just like Sanket just now, Hinata's body was horizontal in the air.
Holding her breath, Hinata took the third step.
"Ah..."
The next second, Hinata's expression changed and she cried out in surprise.
Her feet, which were originally stuck to the bark, suddenly slipped, and her whole body was about to fall.
At this moment, two arms caught Hinata and steadied her.
Sanket chuckled and said, "Don't be afraid, I told you, I will catch you."
"Sanket-kun, I'm sorry..."
Hinata said with her head down, looking like she had disappointed him.
"Why are you apologizing to me?"
Sanket reached out and patted Hinata's shoulder again, encouraging her: "It's normal to fail. Being able to stick your feet to the trunk on the first try is already very impressive. When I was practicing, I tried more than ten times before I succeeded."
This is a lie!
Sanket succeeded in one try and walked up many steps.
Whether it was Uzumaki Naruto or Uchiha Sasuke, neither had chakra control in their talent entries.
However, Sanket and Hinata's chakra control had already reached the blue level.
With this level of talent, let alone climbing trees and treading water—even medical ninjutsu, perception techniques, sealing, and barrier techniques would all be easier to learn than for those without such talent.
Gentle Fist requires injecting chakra into the opponent's body, which is a form of chakra control.
As long as Hinata had enough chakra and someone to guide her, she would soon master tree climbing.
"Keep going, I believe you'll be able to reach the top of the tree soon."
"Yeah."
Encouraged, Hinata gained confidence.
She formed seals again, gathered chakra to the soles of her feet, and stepped onto the tree trunk, her body once again horizontal in the air.
Perhaps it was the sense of security Sanket gave her, but Hinata didn't hold her breath this time. She naturally took the third step.
The imbalance she experienced on her previous attempt didn't happen again.
Hinata controlled the chakra in both feet well, and her shoes stuck firmly to the trunk.
The fourth step, the fifth, sixth...
By the time she reached the ninth step, her rhythm faltered again. The chakra control broke, and she started to fall.
Strangely, Hinata wasn't afraid at all. She didn't scream.
There was even a hint of anticipation in her heart.
Sure enough…
Her body didn't hit the ground but landed in a warm embrace.
Sanket held Hinata in a princess carry, looked down at her, and praised, "Amazing, Hinata. You reached that height on your second try. You're really a genius."
"Hehe..."
Hinata didn't feel shy—she laughed happily.
She had received more praise today than in all the years before.
Is this what it feels like to be recognized?
Hinata, whose personality hadn't yet turned shy and self-doubting as in the original story, suddenly felt incredibly motivated and confident. Her beautiful eyes sparkled as she said, "Sanket-kun, put me down—I want to try again."
"Okay."
Sanket saw all the changes in her.
Watching this girl become confident made Sanket happy for her.
A rich heiress who became so timid and insecure in the original story—it showed what kind of high-pressure life she had lived.
Since he had come to this world and decided to intervene in the stories of Uzumaki Naruto and Otsutsuki Toneri, Sanket also had to change this girl's fate.
Even if she didn't become the cool and bold "bad girl" from the limited Tsukuyomi, she at least shouldn't waste the bloodline of the Otsutsuki clan.
Starting with changing her personality, Sanket would shape her into someone worthy of her potential.
Hinata had good talent. Among the four major girls of the Konoha Twelve, she was the only one born into a noble family with the Byakugan—one of the Three Great Dojutsu.
What she lacked was self-confidence.
Once she found her confidence, she would shine.
Climbing trees and treading water don't consume much chakra, only require control.
That control can be gained through talent or effort.
In the original, Naruto and Sasuke relied on effort. Sakura had talent.
So did Sanket and Hinata. Hinata, who climbed seven or eight steps on her second try, didn't regress but progressed on her third. She went past ten steps before falling again.
And once again, Sanket caught her.
By her fourth try, Hinata didn't fall. She reached the top of the tree successfully.
"Sanket-kun, I did it!"
Standing on top of the tree, she didn't even glance at the view—her first reaction was to share the joy with Sanket below.
"Awesome! You reached the top on your fourth try. Hinata, you're way better than me."
Sanket gave her a thumbs-up with a bright smile.
"Hehe…"
Hinata beamed again at the praise.
Even though both her father and Sanket taught her, the experience was completely different.
Her father's training made her nervous. Even if she completed her assignments, there was no praise.
Sometimes, if she didn't perform like her cousin, she was even scolded.
But here, with Sanket, she received the praise she had always craved.
The joy was different. The ease was different. It felt like her heart was being purified, making her truly enjoy training.
Coming down from the treetop as if walking on flat ground, Hinata looked at Sanket expectantly. "Sanket-kun, is treading water the same as tree climbing?"
"Yes, but harder."
Sanket nodded. "Tree climbing just needs you to stick to the trunk. But water is flowing—you need much more control to stand on it."
"I won't teach you yet. Try it at home in a bathtub or water tank. When your chakra reserves increase a little, I'll teach you proper water walking and shadow clone techniques."
"Okay…" Hinata nodded obediently.
Seeing how obedient she was, Sanket finally showed his real intention and smiled, "Next, let's train in physical combat! And let me experience the Hyuga clan's acupoint attacks."
"Okay."
The innocent Hinata didn't suspect anything.
She had sparred many times with her cousin at home, so she nodded easily. Practicing combat skills not taught at school didn't seem wrong to her.
(End of this chapter)