What is the most important quality of a ninja? To a novice, it is strength—the physical guarantee of a mission's success. To the cynical, it is intelligence—the strategy that ensures survival when blades are equally sharp.
However, during the first week of the Academy, the Third Hokage provided a different answer through Iruka. The most vital quality is loyalty. Iruka spent seven days acting as a bard of the state.
He recounted the "Will of Fire" and the legends of Sarutobi Hiruzen in exhaustive detail. Thick biographies were distributed to every child. For the civilian students, this indoctrination was absolute, turning their admiration into a peak of "idol worship."
Evan Kamiyo, however, found the psychological pressure unbearable. With his elite-level Spirit attribute, the repetitive glorification felt like mental torture. He spent most of the lectures napping, relying on Hinata to act as his sentry.
"Evan-kun… Evan-kun, wake up." Hinata's soft voice finally pulled him from a deep, crooked sleep. He rubbed his eyes, seeing both Hinata and Ino standing over him like protective guardians.
By the second week, the social landscape shifted. Ino Yamanaka abandoned the traditional Ino–Shika–Cho seating arrangement to sit directly next to Evan. This strategic move made Evan the target of every boy's jealousy in the room.
At noon, the classroom became a competitive dining hall. Under Hinata's meticulous care, Evan enjoyed a multi-tiered bento every day. Seeing him eat Hinata's cooking with such satisfaction sparked a fierce fire in Ino.
"If I could make lunch for him myself… I wouldn't lose to a Hyuga!" Ino thought. That afternoon, she didn't stay to play. She rushed home to the Yamanaka flower shop with a single-minded purpose.
"Mom! I want to learn how to cook!" Ino shouted as she burst through the door. Her mother, Yamanaka Kaichi, was stunned. Her daughter was the "little princess" of the family, never once interested in domestic chores.
Kaichi, a gentle woman with sharp intuition, immediately realized why. After a moment of hesitation, she took Ino to the kitchen. The process was far more difficult than the young girl expected.
By sunset, the pan was filled with an unidentified black substance. "Ino, maybe you should stick to flower arrangement," Kaichi suggested gently. But Ino grit her teeth, her blue eyes flashing with resolve.
"I won't give up! I have to make a dish for Evan!" Ino declared. Kaichi smiled; her "little padded jacket" of a daughter was finally leaking her heart to someone else. She spent the night patiently guiding Ino's hands.
At dinner, the head of Intelligence, Yamanaka Inoichi, looked at the slightly salty, overcooked meal with a complicated expression. Once he learned Ino made it, he ate every bite with exaggerated pride, unaware of the "rivalry" behind it.
That night, Kaichi watched her sleeping daughter. She hadn't told her husband the real reason for Ino's passion, but she committed a name to memory: Evan Kamiyo. "Next time," she murmured, "I must see what kind of boy has turned my daughter into a chef overnight."