Hola!

I'm updating this story a lot, but I feel bad 'cause my other stories have been put on hold. (Due to a broken laptop)

Hinata POV

The pressure is unbelievable. I'm supposed to freeze everyone in the room right before Lee gets crushed by Gaara's sand, baring in mind I've had this power for about half an hour. If that doesn't make it bad enough, knowing that if I mess up Lee may never be a ninja again definitely does.

Watching as he comes at Gaara with everything he has, it made me have even more respect for him than I already did. I didn't get to see the fight the first time around, so to watch as he didn't give up, even when it looked like a lost cause...Well, it just made me stress even more.

I don't want him to have to go through what he did the first time around, and I'll do everything in my power to prevent it.

Guy was explaining something out loud to anyone who was listening about Lee's determination; his will to never give up is even more admirable than Naruto's, and in my opinion there isn't many things that are better than Naruto.

"Go Lee!" I shouted.

People looked at me funny; the shy heiress cheering for someone she barely knows? News flash: I'm not the same girl I was five years ago...Well technically I am, but not personality-wise.

"Yeah, go Lee!" Sakura and Tenten yelled.

Ino 'Woooed' and Temari had her hands clasped together in a sort of prayer. This was probably the hardest for her. Despite becoming friends with Lee in the future, she still wanted Gaara to win. It's understandable, he's her brother after all.

Personally I think that Gaara was a nice person once Naruto had gotten through to him. Due to being very close to Temari, I had also gotten to know Gaara and Kankuro, and I have to say they're great company.

Catching Sakura's eye, I watched as she mouthed something to me.

Get ready.

I nodded at her and watched closely for the signal she was going to give me.

There was no point observing the match, even as Lee opened the fifth gate, because I didn't know when Gaara actually crushed his arm and leg.

Activating my Byakugan, I kept an eye on Sakura while at the same time looking at the others. Tenten was hopping from one foot to the other, Ino was gripping the bar as if her life depended on it, Temari was still clasping her hands together prayer style, and Sakura was asking Kakashi-sensei if this arena was insured.

The answer was no; she was going to break it regardless.

It all happened so fast after that, Sakura gave the signal and I threw my hands up into the air in an effort to freeze everyone.

Nothing happened. I panicked.

Shit! Shit! Shit!

The sand was about two metres away from Lee and still nothing was happening.

Come on, freeze already!

I was getting frustrated. Why wasn't this working? Then it clicked. My emotions! I've got to feel what I felt when I fought Neji.

Thinking back, the only emotion that I can recall is fear. It wasn't fear of getting hurt, it was fear of Neji never accepting me, despite what ever I tried.

Battling down my frustration, I tried hard to think of a time when I was filled with fear...I got it! I was filled with fear that time when Naruto was held down with those rods by Pein. I though he was going to die that day.

Focusing on that memory, I threw my hands up just as the sand connected with Lee.

This better work...

"YES!" I couldn't help but shout.

"It took you long enough." Temari commented.

"You try freezing an entire room when you've only had the power for half an hour!" I retorted.

She threw her hands up in an 'I surrender' gesture before turning serious. "We don't have much time. Hinata, you get Lee out of the way and replace him with a shadow clone. Sakura, you punch the ground in front of Gaara and send him flying." She instructed.

"Right!" We agreed.

"What about you, me and Tenten?" Ino asked.

Sakura beat Temari to answering, "Temari can't do anything because at the minute she's supposed to be plotting against the leaf. You and Tenten aren't doing anything because it would raise too much suspicion. They're already suspicious of Hinata due to her drastic change in personality, and apart from Hinata, who just recently learnt mine and Tsunades's inhuman strength, I'm the only one who can throw a punch with enough force to create a crater in the ground to send Gaara flying."

"But-"

"We haven't got time to argue." I cut Tenten off. "Just wait for us calling you, and act like you have no idea what's going on."

"Fine" Ino grumbled.

I had already created a shadow clone, and was currently trying to manoeuvre Lee out of the way so that it could take his place.

I'd just gotten Lee to the other end of the arena when everything unfroze. Sakura jumped down and punched the ground with enough force that it made the whole arena shake. She then charged at Gaara and punched him into the wall.

"Woah! What's going on?" I heard Naruro exclaim as I started tending to Lee's wounds. They weren't as bad as I thought; he was just severely exhausted and some of his muscles had been ripped.

"Tenten!" Sakura shouted, "I need you to restrain him."

"Huh?" Tenten asked. She played the part of a very confused person very well.

"No time to explain. Just summon some ropes and restrain him!" Sakura shouted as she pummelled Gaara into the wall again.

Tenten blinked. "Right!" She said while reaching for a scroll.

I stopped listening after that and focused all of my attention on Lee. Everyone was either gathering around us or watching Sakura beat the stuffing out of Gaara...Or both.

"Medical ninjutsu." Kakashi muttered, "and super strength. What are those two hiding?" He asked himself.

No one heard him apart from me, but it worried me that he was suspicious. Then again, this is Kakashi I'm talking about. He's known throughout the world for his perception.

I blanked everyone out and tried to help Lee as much as she could, until the medics arrived and took him away on a stretcher.

By this time Sakura and Tenten had managed to restrain Gaara, and he was now being held between his two siblings.

"The winner of this match is Gaara. This is the end of the preliminary matches." The proctor announced.

I smiled and sighed in relief. Good.

The list of who was going to fight who went up onto the screen. My eyes went wide. Naruto?! I've got to fight Naruto? This isn't going to end well...

Despite my pessimism, I still couldn't help but look forward to the fight. Naruto was yelling about how awesome of an opponent I was going to be, and his enthusiasm was infectious.

Temari, her brothers, and their sensei took off not soon after that, but not before Temari winked at each of us and then touched the place on her neck where I knew her amulet hung. She was telling us we had to meet up later. I nodded and mouthed 'The Hokage monument' before turning towards the crowd of ninja that were now staring at Sakura and I with eyebrows raised, not including Ino and Tenten.

"It has been a long day. I wish everyone who is through to the final rounds good luck." The third spoke.

This was everyone's que to leave, and Sakura and I also tried sneaking off. "Not so fast, you two. I'd like a word in private."

Of course...We weren't getting off the hook that easily.

"Alright"

With that, the three of us trudged towards his office, while Sakura and I were thinking of multiple ways that we could get out of this situation without revealing too much.

What do you think? I'm seriously going to consider not updating this much if you guys aren't even going to review. I need to know what I did well, what I did bad, and how I can make it better.

I understand some people might not like it enough to review, but those who are following and favouriting me obviously do.

I'm not asking for a lot, guys.

Anyway...

See ya later alligators!