Ukiyo dug her feet into the sand, creating a firm block of earth beneath her feet. She leaned to her right a bit, then quickly swung her weight up and over her left shoulder as she jumped off the ground into a one-handed cartwheel. Her hands dug into the sand comfortably and she rolled over her body in an elegant motion. The sand is proving to be much easier to maneuver with than expected. It’s actually a lot like mud, but not slippery. Perfect! Ukiyo smiled widely and look up at the sun. The sun beat down on her without a cloud in sight. That’s right, clouds are made of water. I think I’ve seen one small one since I’ve been here, and it’s dry as all hell. This land is bizarre. Ukiyo dug her feet into the ground again and squatted, slightly bouncing (pushing her feet even further into the sand). She twisted her body a bit clockwise, then counterclockwise, then clockwise again and this time jumped up and spun as fast as she could without losing control. She made it almost 720 degrees and then almost landed with a little stumble, but was caught by the sand’s cushion. Tsk, I can’t even do two spins off this stuff. I’m sure with a little practice I’ll get used to it. It’s a good thing to know though that this sand will soften my falls and make it easier to recover from awkward footing/landings. That’ll be highly useful, as I’m sure there will be some Genin here who can disrupt my steps. Ukiyo fell on her butt and pulled her legs in. She unstrapped her shoes and took them off, throwing them to the side. When she stood back up, Ukiyo’s eyes widened, Woah, this sand feels incredible! She wiggled her toes, playfully grabbing sand with them/passing sand through them. Ukiyo then made two hand signs, crouched in a running position, and pushed off as hard as she could in a sprint. The first few steps were very awkward, as if she had trouble lifting her feet after they dug into the sand with each step. This will take some getting used to… Ukiyo continued running for a while, eventually making a turn back towards her starting point. Then turn around was very smooth, The cushion lets me move around easier I think, but a little because I can’t get the full force of pushing off the ground. If I can just get used to gripping the sand with my feet, I’m sure I can get back up to full capability in no time. Ukiyo ran harder and harder, getting lower to the ground and more horizontal as her speed increased. Eventually she was running with almost only her toes; gripping a chunk of sand and throwing it behind her to propel forward with each step. When she got almost back to her starting point, Ukiyo jumped off with her left foot, threw her hands out in front of her, and began flipping in the air. She landed in a handstand and, clenching the ground, flipped over back onto her feet. Stretching her legs, Ukiyo smiled, “Not bad at all. It seems the sand is pretty much as solid as actual ground, just with a layer of cushion above it. That’s not a problem at all actually...” She looked over her shoulder the way she had come and closed her eyes. She channeled chakra, molding it into Mokuton, then released it to her seeds as she opened her eyes. In the path she had just taken, grass began sprouting up everywhere along it. Sets of two blades (a few inches apart) sprang up about a meter or so away from the previous set. And the sand doesn’t appear to shift my seeds by more than an inch or two either. This will work. Ukiyo smiled in excitement and fell flat on her back, arms and legs stretched out wide. She stared at the sun overhead and channeled Suiton chakra in her mouth, breathing deeply the now-humid air.

677/625