Earth Release: Sand Physiology

 is a special technique utilized by Rei Kishi, this allows him the ability to convert his body into sand or clay. Like Gaara's version, this can also be used as a mode of swift travel by travelling over long distances as a rushing sandstorm. This technique, grants Rei the ability to convert his body into sand by mental command. The sand functions identically to, and appears to be, normal flesh. However, he can convert all or parts of his body into animated sand at will. His brain has attained subliminal awareness of all granulated particles of his body. Through conscious effort, he can affect the degree of molecular cohesion between the numerous adjoining surfaces of his particles and thus cause locomotion of discrete volumes, down to the individual grains.

As a consequence of having a body composed of animated sand, any user under the influence of this technique possesses phenomenal superhuman strength, able to lift over 90 tons under optimal conditions. His altered body composition and increased density enable him to compact or loosen the particles of sand that make up his form. Consequently, Rei can become as hard as sandstone, or disperse his body so that he becomes invulnerable to physical attacks. A favorite tactic of Rei is making himself slightly dispersed when an opponent punches him, and then making himself rock-solid again, entrapping his opponent's appendage.

He can shape his sand-state body into any continuous shape he can imagine, including his forearms into weapons like hammers, spiked maces, and large fists, stretching, elongating, deforming, expanding, flattening, or compressing all or portions of his body at will. He can project his sand particles outward at high speeds and, when in the shape of a bulky object, with the impact of a large sandbag.

More recently, Rei learned some new tricks, including altering the formation of his sand particles and reshaping them into glass. This grants him the ability to reflect light and energy off of him. The user of this technique is vulnerable to heat: temperatures of 3,400 degrees Fahrenheit can cause his highly impure silicate composition to fuse into amorphous silicate (glass). He maintains mental control of the particles of which his body is composed so that he can reform his scattered grains unless a substantial portion of his body mass has been isolated. Apparently, he can also convert common grains of sand around him into constituents of his body to replenish portions he might lose track of during battle. In this manner, he can increase his overall size and volume (to some as yet unknown limit), or that of his limbs. There appears to be no limit to how long the Rei can remain in his sand-state. If he were to be rendered unconscious while in his sand-state, he would remain in that state, although the relaxing of his control over his particles would cause him to become an amorphous pile of sand.

Rei's mind continues to function in astral form even when he has turned his head into sand and even when the particles of sand that composed his brain are widely scattered. The limit to how far the particles of his brain can be dispersed before he is unable to reassemble is not yet known. Through conscious effort, he can affect the degree of molecular cohesion between the numerous adjoining surfaces of his particles and thus cause locomotion of discrete volumes, down to the individual grains. In this form, he is invulnerable to damage.