Boulders

Gneiss

The hardness of the wooden handle was foreign to Toph's hands. It pressed against her soft skin, rubbing despite the thin cloth wrappings Kisame had padded it in.

Toph loved it.

All her life, except when she snuck out to fight, had been soft.

Soft hands.

Soft silks.

Soft treatment.

So it was rather refreshing now to hold something firm and unyielding and unbending; the wooden practice sword.

Kisame shifted into a stance.

They stood in an empty cave, the floor carpeted with bamboo mats that blurred her 'vision'. The huge sword Kisame usually carried leaned casually against a wall, replaced by a wooden sword that matched Toph's own, but bigger.

Toph slid her feet into a pose that matched the much bigger man's. He grunted, pleased with her correct stance.

Or at least she thought he was pleased. The mats were thin enough that she could sense his vague outline and positioning, but not his heart rate or anything as small as blinks.

He could have been displeased for all she could tell, but Toph had heard a lot of displeased noises and that had not been one of them.

"This is the first basic stance. Remember it," Kisame told her. "Now, like this."

This time, after she slid into the second stance, he came over and nudged her left foot a little more under her. Toph felt her toes bend slightly as her foot came forward, and she shot him an inquisitive expression.

"You need to be ready to move at any time," he told her in reply to her unasked question. "The shinobi who stands like a pillar is the one who is dead before the second strike lands. You must always be ready to move, to flow with the tide of battle like a reed."

Hm. Toph didn't know if she liked that. In Earthbending you had to be firm, solid. If you were immovable, the rock would have to move instead. Now here Kisame was, telling her to flow like a Waterbender.

She decided to go with it for now.

The third stance was better. She stood firm and solid, blade perpendicular to the ground, one hand on the hilt and the other bracing it.

"You remember them?" Kisame asked gruffly.

Instead of replying, Toph slid through all three of the positions, ending with her practice sword guarding her body. Kisame grunted again, this time definently pleased.

Then he stepped forwards and bashed his own wooden blade against hers. The force of it sent her to the ground, but Toph was back up on her feet seconds later. Her wrists felt jarred from the force he had used.

"Not good enough," he said. "Try again."

He motioned for her to stand in front of him and take the defensive stance again, but Toph didn't.

"What was that about!?" She demanded. "You hit me!"

"Yes, and you fell," Kisame motioned towards the ground again. "I know, I was there. Now, third form, here. Hurry up."

Toph bit her lip but did as he said, this time bracing herself firmly, with every expectation of that other wooden blade coming with the force of a platypusbear to knock her over.

It didn't.

Instead, the tip poked her in the side hard enough to bruise. Toph yelped and jumped back, and that was when she got smacked in the stomach with the flat of the blade.