Boulders

Nepheline

The next day, Sakura was sweaty, dirty, and triumphant. She had hardly gotten any sleep, and had missed breakfast and dinner because she hadn't gone home, but she understood, now. She could feel the earth.

And with that, her lack of chakra was no issue.

The only problem was that she had no idea how to use it. She could Earthbend, now, but how did one do what Toph did?

Oh, well. Sakura knew that Toph would teach her now. She had moved the earth practically all night, and her euphoria had yet to fade.

Naruto came next, surprisingly, smelling of stale noodles and.... other, less pleasant things. He started when he saw Sakura, but she glared at him until he looked away.

Okay, so today was not her best day. Sometime during the night, Sakura had tied up her hair in a messy bun, her makup was missing, and her dress was absolutely covered in dirt.

But that didn't matter.

Sakura could Earthbend.

Sakura could Earthbend!

Would she finally be enough for Sasuke to reconise her and a acknowledge her hard work?

He was later then usual, something she was eternally indebted to Kami for. She was able to use the extra time to zip home, through the window, and back.

Dry shampoo was truly a woman's best friend.

Although, Sakura had been forced to leave the red dress she usually wore at home; it was simply too dirty and torn up to wear again, and, contrary to belief, she only had that one.

She had substituted with a blue cammie that had lain forgotten at the bottom of her top drawer, a white overshirt that she tied neatly to one side, and a paneled pink skirt over her usual half-leggings.

All in all, she felt like a lot less of a total mess when she got back, especially considering that Sasuke had arrived and was sitting on one of the tallest outcroppings that she had made, a slanted pillar of sandstone almost as tall as Kakashi-sensei.

"Sasuke!" Sakura called. "Guess what! I can Earthbend! I can do what Miss Toph does!"

Instead of gaining a more pleased aura to his usual broodiness, he seemed to darken. He folded his fingers and looked down on Sakura as if trying to convey..... displeasure?

Why would he be displeased?

Was it her outfit? Was she less aesthetically pleasing? Did he not like the way her hair was done? She probably looked like a mess and should go shower before-

Nope. Too late. Kakashi-sensei came strolling into their training ground, Toph at her now usual place at his side. Sakura watched as Kakashi-sensei's eye widened.

Miss Toph just grinned.

"Well, Sakura," he looked at her rather messy work. "It looks like you learned how to bend."

Toph shot her arm out around Sakura's shoulders, and she pulled her slightly away from the two boys. "I'm going to have to steal your cute little student away from you, Mr Hatake. Hope you don't miss her too much."

Kakashi almost waved them away. "I won't. We'll be working on chakra control, and Sakura has no need to work on that at all."

Sakura looked back at Sasuke. He looked very upset. Why? Did Naruto do something to upset him? No, probably not. If so, he'd be glaring at their other teammate, not her. So why-

It hit like a lightning strike.

Sasuke had wanted to learn Earthbending, but he didn't have Earth natured chakra. He wouldn't be able to learn under Toph.