'Gaara and Lee. '

The first thought that hit Naruto was how to tell Lee about Gaara without telling Lee about himself. He looked to Kakashi for help, blue eyes pleading for his sensei to have all the answers. Before either had time to form an idea, Gai had come to them with Lee in tow. What was left of the Konoha 12 huddled together, sensei included.

Gai took a deep breath, gently squeezing his hand on the back of Lee's neck. 'He uses that sand like a weapon as if it is an extension of himself. '

'He uses it like a shield. ' Kakashi was carefully toeing the line of telling what he shouldn't know in a way that was reasonable for him to know. Time jumping was exhausting. 'It's mixed with his chakra, so it's strong. '

Kurenai bit her lip. 'There's more to him, isn't there? Hinata told me he talks to himself as if he's talking to another person. She swears he kept saying

Mother

. '

'So he's insane? ' Ino rolled her eyes. 'Just fabulous. '