Earth Release techniques have the ability to change the strength and composition of the earth from being as hard as metal to as soft as clay, as well as manipulating their density, making them heavier or lighter. This includes allowing the user to travel through ground and rock in various ways which can be essential for both transportation and for setting up attacks or creating defenses or for offence. Pre-existing earth is not necessary seeing how the user may conjure there own. Earth is strong against water because earth naturally contains water or absorbs water to the point when it becomes muddy then dries up but weak against lightning because it can easily travel through and break the ground apart.