One might notice that many shinobi wear an excess of bandages. One may even question the purpose of these bandages.
It could be debated that some if these bandages seemed cosmetic.
But Lee's use of bandages was always functional.
He'd asked Neji about his bandages when they were first genin.
"Why do you have bandages on your leg, Neji-san?"
"Because when I train I can develop sores and open wounds. Shouldn't you realize that by now, Lee?" Neji had sneered, as always leaving out the honorific.
"But why only on one leg? And only on one arm for that matter?"
" ..They are complicated reasons that only a Hyuuga could underarstand."
Lee had simply nodded and decided against questioning him further.
Lee had had plenty of logical reasons for wearing his bandages. They were a part of his Taijutsu, and they hid the sores and calluses he had developed from his intense training.
Not to mention the bandages that binded his chest.
He'd managed to keep his secret for years at the academy. On his first day of school he had insisted on being called Rock (which to his youthful mind had seemed like an excellent masculine name) and from then on everyone assumed he was a boy.
It was a dream come true.
Granted, the braid his mother always insisted on seemed out of place, but his parents had long given up on the battle for Lee to wear feminine clothing. He had always seen himself as a boy, and he would be damned if he was going to let some anatomical discrepancies get in his way.
But then there was his issue with ninjutsu and genjutsu.
He wanted so badly to be like the Hyuuga boy--to be able to have natural talent...but try as he might, his body just wasn't having it. So he decided to work harder than everyone else, become a genin via sheer willpower.
But then puberty started happening.
Lee had managed to catch his first period the morning before a meeting with the team...but the problem of his developing mammary glands was just something he couldn't ignore. And it wasn't as if he could brush it off as developing pectorals-- he struggled to build muscle definition of any kind.
So he would bandage his chest, which he quickly learned would hurt like hell after a long day--even more after a long mission. But he wanted to become a splendid ninja, so he would grit his teeth and bear the pain.
Until his match with Gaara put him in the hospital.
He woke up, feeling mildly in pain (the painkillers they had him on must've had the strength to knock out an elephant) and when he brought his eyes down to his chest he gasped and folded his arms over himself. He looked over and saw that Gai-sensei had fallen asleep on the chair next to his bed.
His head fell in his hands. He felt ashamed for lying to Gai-sensei about his anatomy, and he felt even more ashamed that Gai-sensei was discovering this after he had failed so horribly. He felt his hands get hot and warm with tears.
"Glad to see you're awake." A calm voice said. Lee looked up, immediately covering himself.
"K-kakashi-sensei!" Lee said with a nervous smile.
Kakashi set down a small bag. "I was just checking in on you and Sasuke while bringing Gai his lunch." He hit Gai's arm.
"-Power of youth!" Gai grumbled as he startled awake.
Kakashi chuckled. "Lee's awake." He said, unpacking the lunch. Lee had never seen this tenderness between the two shinobi before.
Gai smiled at him. "Lee! I'm so happy you're awake!" He grinned.
Lee gave a nervous laugh and nodded.
Kakashi looked at Gai. "I think I'll leave you two to talk." He said putting his hands in his pockets and turning to leave. "Oh, and Gai, it's your turn to pick up dinner tonight." He said, then left.
Gai looked at him, looking almost ashamed. Lee felt terror as he wondered if everyone had discovered his secret and now they were blaming Gai-sensei.
To think that Gai-sensei could be blamed for his treachery--it made his youthful blood boil!
"I am sorry for lying to everyone Gai-sensei! I should have told you, but I hate my body and I feel so ashamed--!"
"SNAP OUT OF IT LEE! I DIDN'T COME HERE FOR THAT!" Gai shouted, which caused Lee to almost shrink in size.
Gai calmed down. "I came here because you're my student, and I care about you. And you being transgender has nothing to do with why I'm ashamed. I'm ashamed because I threw you're future away--almost threw your life away--just to prove a point."
Lee's eyes were welling up with tears. "You are okay with...with me being..." He had never used that word to describe himself before.
"Of course I am! If anything I admire your determination to pursue your dream and reach your full potential!" Gai's eyes began welling up with tears.
"Gai-sensei...!" Lee crooned.
"LEE!" Gai crowed, and both master and student were prompted to burst into tears.
"Ugh--I'm going to puke." Neji said from the doorway. He had his arms folded as he leaned against the threshold, looking bored.
Gai smiled. "Neji! I'm so glad you're here! I need someone to sit with Lee while I finally take a bathroom break!"
Neji narrowed his eyes. "Lee doesn't need company at all times." He scowled. "And you've been here since yesterday--how have you managed to hold it this long?"
"THE POWER OF YOUTH!" Gai shouted as he sprinted off to the bathroom.
Neji rolled his eyes and took Gai's seat. "I was simply coming in to tell him that I won't need him for training."
Lee curled into a ball, ignoring any pain. Neji had been a merciless bully from the beginning.
"Oh please. I've already seen your breasts. There's really not much to hide."
Lee swallowed and relaxed. He avoided the Hyuuga's penetrating gaze.
"Next time you want to hide your sex I would suggest investing in a proper binder. Then perhaps you won't lose against mentally unstable sand nins."
Lee frowned. "What are binders?" He gave Neji a confused look, who replied with a long and irritated sigh.
"You can be such a dunce sometimes, Lee."