Chiyo brushed aside a stray lock of pale purple hair and walked excitedly from the training ground toward the crowd around her class, not at all discouraged by her second defeat.
Feeling the eyes around them fixed on the siblings, Ebizo sighed with a headache and stepped forward, shielding his sister, who had no sense of victory or defeat, from the strange looks.
"Hm?" Chiyo clearly heard her younger brother sigh beside her. Her expression changed, and she asked unhappily, "Are you embarrassed by me?"
Knowing his own fighting skills weren't up to par, Ebizo immediately backed down. He gestured toward the second match as it was being prepared and changed the subject. "I was just thinking that the final result probably won't be much different from last time."
Chiyo had long since figured out her younger brother's temperament, so she didn't call him out on his little scheme. Looking at the scroll in Rikusei's hands across the way, she said, "That mysterious Puppet from earlier could bring about a major change in the Puppet Technique."
Ebizo recalled the battle. He really hadn't seen Mao control the Puppet with her fingers. This must have been a Puppet Technique separate from Sunagakure's, which proved that the Chakra Threads limiting Puppet users could be improved.
Chiyo met her younger brother's gaze and declared smugly, "And the person who brought about this change is none other than me, Chiyo."
"No, it should be Senior Monzaemon and Teacher Shamon."
"Teacher Monzaemon has already set off to travel around the Shinobi World, while Teacher Shamon is still in the village. So naturally, it's still me."
"Then work on your Taijutsu. A Puppet user gasping for breath while being chased around will have trouble controlling their Puppets."
"Hey! Who was it that I pinned down and