Just like with Naruto and Sasuke, Yagyu hadn't spoken a word to Hinata in class for the entire year.
This girl was so painfully shy that even Yagyu didn't know how to approach her as a friend.
Moreover, at that time, his gaming system hadn't awakened yet, so Yagyu didn't dare get too close to Hinata.
Who knew if rumors might reach Neji or the Hyuga clan, making them suspect he had ulterior motives toward Hinata and possibly warning or even reprimanding him?
Yagyu was no Jinchūriki of the Nine-Tails; he had no one to back him up.
It wasn't until his "golden finger" awakened, combined with his repeated "hero saves the damsel" moments and the soon-to-be-announced title of top student, that Yagyu began rethinking his approach.
He now felt barely qualified to befriend Hinata.
Although as a commoner, he still wasn't in a position to invite Hinata out to hang out, he realized there was someone else who could—Ino of the new generation's Ino-Shika-Chō trio.
As a staunch supporter of the Hokage lineage, Hiashi Hyuga would surely approve of Hinata befriending Ino.
Even though Hiashi was disappointed in his elder daughter, he hadn't completely given up on her.
In the new Ino-Shika-Chō trio, Ino was the only girl. A friendship between Hinata and Ino could symbolize a future alliance between the Hyuga clan and Ino-Shika-Chō—a crucial connection.
Now, as Ino returned with Hinata, it was clear that Yagyu's plan had worked perfectly—Hiashi had allowed it.
"I did it! I brought Hinata out," Ino said proudly as she approached Yagyu.
"Amazing! I knew I could count on you, Ino," Yagyu replied, giving her a thumbs-up. Then, turning to Hinata, who was standing beside Ino and sneaking glances at him, he smiled warmly. "Hi, Hinata."
When their eyes met, Hinata immediately lowered her head out of reflex.
But remembering what Ino had said to her earlier, she finally mustered the courage to lift her head and nervously said, "Yagyu-kun, th-thank you!"
After finally expressing the gratitude that had been welling up inside her for three years—and had grown even stronger recently—Hinata felt a weight lift off her chest.
"Have you been sneaking glances at me all this time just to say thanks?" Yagyu asked knowingly.
"…Yes."
Feeling relieved, Hinata lowered her head again, shyly.
"Alright, I accept your thanks," Yagyu said with a smile. Then he extended an invitation, "We're about to go train—would you like to join us?"
Hinata's face lit up with joy. "C-can I?"
"Of course! You're more than welcome," Yagyu said firmly.
Ino, understanding Hinata's personality, wrapped an arm around her shoulder and declared confidently, "From now on, we're friends, Hinata."
"Looking forward to training with you, Hinata," Sakura added, smiling politely.
Faced with such warmth and friendliness from the trio, tears welled up uncontrollably in Hinata's white eyes.
The sudden rush of happiness overwhelmed the girl, who had long yearned for friendship but never thought it possible.
But she knew she couldn't let this chance slip away.
She nodded vigorously, her voice trembling as she replied, "…Yes!"
Thanks to Yagyu's efforts, three of the four future kunoichi of Konoha had already become friends.
"Yagyu, look! I can climb all the way to the top now!"
At their usual training spot in the woods, Ino eagerly demonstrated her progress by scaling a tree covered with small footprints.
Effortlessly defying gravity, she ran up the trunk and reached the treetop, which hadn't yet grown dense with foliage.
"Amazing!"
Watching Ino show off from above, Yagyu gave her an enthusiastic thumbs-up.
From repeatedly falling to now scaling the tree in one go, it was clear Ino had been practicing diligently at home.
This dedication was proof of Ino's strong desire to improve—a trait Yagyu found admirable.
If she kept this drive, she might avoid falling far behind Sakura and Hinata as she had in the original storyline.
"Hinata, do you want to try?"
After climbing back down, Ino turned to Hinata, who was watching in amazement. She made a handsign and said, "You focus your chakra in your feet to cling to the tree and climb up. Yagyu taught us this technique."
"My father said it's a skill even the ninja academy doesn't teach."
"That's… incredible," Hinata said, her admiration for Yagyu growing even stronger.
Then she nodded earnestly. "I-I'd like to try."
Forming a handsign, Hinata gathered chakra to her feet and walked toward the tree.
What followed was a scene that struck Ino like a bolt of lightning.
On her first attempt at tree climbing, Hinata moved as if walking on flat ground, effortlessly scaling the trunk.
In no time, she reached the spot Ino had proudly stood on earlier.
Hinata had accomplished in one try what even Sakura had needed multiple attempts to achieve.
"That's… amazing," Sakura exclaimed, echoing Ino's sentiment, though Ino's feelings were more complicated.
Yagyu, however, wasn't surprised.
Of the four kunoichi, Hinata was undoubtedly the most talented.
Not only did she possess a Kekkei Genkai, but as a Hyuga, she had been training in the Gentle Fist technique—focused on striking chakra points—from a young age.
This training required precise chakra control, much like the tree-climbing technique.
Hinata's foundation was far stronger than Sakura's.
In the original series, Hinata also mastered medical ninjutsu and barrier techniques.
During the Three-Tails arc, when a sealing team was formed with Shizune, Sakura, Hinata, and Ino, only Ino lagged behind.
Before Sakura became Tsunade's apprentice, Hinata had been the strongest of the four.
If not for her shy personality, Hinata could have been a standout figure in school.
Even so, she was already among the top five in her grade.
Seeing the three girls master tree-climbing, Yagyu felt genuinely happy for them. At the same time, he prepared to move forward with his plan.
"Since you've all learned tree-climbing, I'll teach you the Body Flicker Technique next," Yagyu said, smiling. "We'll also work on combat techniques together."
"Awesome!" Ino cheered, raising her hand. "I was going to ask you about the Body Flicker Technique yesterday, Yagyu."
"Yeah!" Sakura chimed in. "The way you used it to beat Sasuke was so cool!"
Hinata nodded in agreement.
The three girls seemed to overlook the mention of combat techniques, focusing solely on the Body Flicker Technique.
This was precisely what Yagyu wanted.
The combat training, which seemed secondary to them, was actually the core of Yagyu's plan.
He intended to conduct an experiment using the three of them.
If he could get a drop item from one of them, he'd confirm whether these items were actual possessions of the defeated or just "copies."
If it wasn't an actual loss, Yagyu wouldn't need to worry about accidentally stealing someone's Kekkei Genkai and being suspected of having the ability to rob others of their bloodline limits.
Once this was confirmed, Yagyu could operate without hesitation.
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