Boulders

Peridotite

"So I've nominated you all for the Chunin Exams," Kakashi remarked.

His three pupils stared at him.

"WHAT?!"

▪▪▪

Toph sent a boulder careening towards Sakura's head.

The girl caught it, wobbling, then sent it back to her.

Toph had noticed Katara and Aang doing something like this a while back. Uncle had said that he had made a move to redirect lightning after studying Waterbending. Hence why she was doing what she was.

Okay, maybe Sakura wouldn't learn how to redirect a rockslide by playing around like this, but it was a useful way to play.

Sakura almost dropped the boulder as she tried to send it back again.

For her, anyway.

"You lack finesse," Toph told her, smoothly sending the boulder her way. "You may have great abilities when it comes to larger scale attacks, but you'll never be able to manage anything subtle if you don't work harder at it."

Sakura groaned. "How is precise going to help me with crushing my enemies?"

Toph let the rock fall to the ground. She tapped the ground with her toes, considering, and then lead the way to the river bank, her pupil groaning loudly as she dragged herself along.

When the grass gave way to sand, Toph stopped. She felt the ground and thought of what she wanted.

She slipped her feet along the ground until her toes were angled closer to her, then held up her arms and let her elbows drop.

The sand parted, growing and shrinking until it took a much smaller form of what she now resided in.

Toph heard Sakura gasp, then gently kneel besides it. "You made a tiny Konoha!"

Toph crouched down besides her. "That is the importance of precision. Being able to be a scalpel, not just a sledgehammer. To pull away exactly what you want and no more. There is more to Earthbending then just rocks."

"Can you teach me how to do this?" Sakura asked.

"To Sandbend? No." Toph stood abruptly. "You aren't quite ready. Now, I believe that Kakashi wants you to have as much combat experience as possible, right?"

Sakura tensed, but nodded. "After every fight, can you help me move stuff with precision?"

Toph felt a sadistic smile creep over her face. "I do know where to find some pottery..."

Sakura whimpered.

▪▪▪

They were dropping the kids off at the building.

Kakashi had wanted to take the day off and sleep in, but Toph told him she would walk the kids there, and since he was supposed to watch her, he had to come too.

That had led to a few jabbing questions about how she knew he was supposed to be keeping an eye on her.

Sheesh. She wasn't stupid. Toph knew that no sane person would just let someone as powerful as her walk around freely, not without assigning her a fairly powerful babysitter.

Plus, she knew what it felt like to be watched. Kakashi was just nicer about it than her father's guards had been.

So, that was why they stood in front of the exam building. Toph gave Naruto and Sakura one last softish nudge each, then stepped on Sauske's foot.

She ignored his indignation.

"See you all once you pass the test!" Toph waved, then allowed Kakashi to finally drag her away.