A/N: I really have no excuse for being this late. But I am sorry and will try to do better next time! Short chap, but the next one will be so epic, you'll forgive me :)

At this moment, it was not just Madara Uchiha who was howling. Itachi had joined, the vicious cry of an Alpha bellowing from his lungs. Mikoto had a high pitched scream of a howl, her sorrow overwhelming. Sasuke, who was still suffering from the poison was managing to growl. Neji howled from an undisclosed location, demanding that Hinata come find him this instant. The rest of the pack either held gloom or rage in their voices, all waiting for the command of their newest Alpha.

No one knew how long they howled. Cursing Nagato and the foxes, demanding to know their exact location, daring them to answer.

Finally it died down and with one last howl from Itachi, signaling a meeting for the Council, things went back to order. Deidara, Karin, and Orochimaru started to heal the wounded. Madara and Itachi started to the meeting room, sat and waited for the rest to appear. They ignored their wounds.

Neji stumbled in, followed by Shikamaru, Kiba, Hinata and Suigetsu. Shortly after them came Kakashi and Kurenai. They all had some sort of wound they were ignoring. They were not as bad off as some of the new and weaker members.

"Who have we lost from the Council?"

"Kisame, Chiyo, and Asuma." Kakashi said slowly, his mask gone. Kurenai broke into tears, as much as she was trying to hold it back. Itachi slowly clenched his fists, not use to being the leader but too proud to let Madara take over.

"I see." He started, "I understand how much everyone wants to go after Nagato—" The Council howled "—but first we have to heal ourselves or they'll destroy us completely. Then we have to bury each of our brothers and hold a ceremony for my father. Afterwards, we call in reinforcements from our allies, the ones we trust. Only then, we shall get our revenge." Itachi's eyes shown bright red.

Still paralyzed on the ground, with Karin hovering over him, Sasuke wanted to die. He'd lost his father, his chance to be Alpha, his home. But what he couldn't forgive himself for is letting his mate slip through his fingers. He had finally got him, and now Naruto was gone.

-Line Break-

Naruto was in a different place. It seemed like a different world. There was sand, lots of it and the buildings were rounded instead of rectangular. This was Suna. The very place Sasuke had forbid him to ever see. Sasuke. The blondes chest tightened and he started to fall forward, only to be caught by a powerful pair of arms. "I got you, son."

At the word 'son' Naruto flinched and leaned back to look up at the other man. His father. "B-before we go any further with this, tell me how you're alive. And no bullshit!" He scrambled to his feet, startling the rest of the people in the room. "How're you all so calm? You've had people die right infront of you."

"It's because we know what we do is right." Minato said quietly, looking toward the ground. "We know what we were put on earth to do. Stop the hatred and merge with humans as equals, nothing more or less. Your mother thought the same thing."

"Thought?" So, she wasn't alive? Naruto sank to the ground again. Somewhere, deep in his heart, he had hoped... since his father was here and all... just maybe. "I don't belong here, this place is full of hurt. I'm full of hurt."

"Naruto..." Minato didn't know how to comfort his boy. He wanted to see him smile for all the years he'd spent away, in hiding, but he didn't know how to make it happen.

Nagato arrived, moving to stand before Naruto. "Welcome, Naruto Uzumaki. Or I suppose we should start saying Namikaze." He grabbed the blonde gently and lifted him to his feet. "We've got a lot of talking to do, let's go somewhere more private."

Nagato led the two blondes up the stairs of the large house like place. It wasn't as huge as with the wolves but it was big. Everything was a different shade of brown, red, black. It was too different in Suna. The building seemed to be like a live-in warehouse, neat and cozy, with high windows but cemented floors. But it was under furnished. Like this place was temporary.

They entered a room where Gaara, Sakura and Tsunade were already sitting. Naruto sucked in a deep breath, preparing to yell at each and every one of these people. They were supernatural foxes! But just as he was about to let loose on their asses, Tsunade grabbed him by the shoulder and forced him to sit. "Don't even think about it!"

So, they sat there. All eyeing each other across the long wooden table, no one quite sure how to begin. Naruto took the time to ponder upon which person he was more angry with. Gaara for being his supposed bestfriend while hiding the biggest secret of all? His father for being absent all his life and letting him grow up an orphan? Nagato for challenging the Uchiha's and bring so much pain to his life? "I am... So pissed off." Naruto said.

"With good reason." Nagato spoke with an even tone, trying not to upset the young man. "We will explain everything to you. Gaara?" He rose an hand to the redhead.

Naruto interrupted, "No! Before that," He turned to Minato. "Tell me why you abandoned me! Right this instant, do you know how long I've wanted to meet you? Bastard!"

Minato took the harsh words from his son with his lips pulled tightly together. He let his sn his him in his chest weakly, only from frustration under the circumstances they finally got to meet each other from.

"When you were born..." His father started. "A man named Madara Uchiha kidnapped you. You were only hours old, Naruto."

The younger blonde gapped. Madara? From Sasuke's family. "He threatened to kill you right infront of Kushina and I. We fought and we fought hard, you have to believe me. I needed to pull an advantage over him, and as quickly as possible, then you were thrown in the air at that instant. That opening..." Minato took a breath. "Your mother looked at me and I knew what she wanted me to do. She wanted me to catch you and let her finish Madara, as she wasn't able to move much and couldn't get you herself. But it was take the last of her life to push him down. Kushina... smiled at me... and didn't change her mind. She beat Madara until he retreated and I caught you.

"I didn't see her last breath. But I felt it. After that, I understood I was in danger. For what I had done. Tsunade and Jiraiya were your godparents and I trusted them with my life, so I could trust them with yours. I've been leading them away from you for years, but you still ended up with them. I came back to try to save you, so I won't ever have to feel your last breath too." Minato concluded his tale with an apologetic smile. "I knew if you knew I was out there somewhere you would've came after me."

"Without a doubt." He would have hired a team of private investigators to find his father. Naruto wiped his eyes, hating how emotional he was all the time. "I would've found you." He coughed then and turned to the redhead. "Go on now, Gaara. Fill in e rest of the blanks."

Gaara opened his mouth to speak, "As you know, we're foxes. Descendants of the younger son of the Sage, the son who inherited his fathers body. He believed intelligence and compromise was the key to peace. We eventually took the shape of a fox because they are clever yet misunderstood. People mistake foxes for being sneaky, an image we must change."

"Why do the descendants of the younger son and the descendants of the older son fight? Tell me the reason for this war." The blonde folded his hands on the table, ready to hear the answer. The answer for all the heartache, the death, the answer that shaped his life.

Tsunade cleared her throat and took a deep breath. "When the Sage went back to Heaven, he didn't leave his sons to continue living on earth. Well he did—but not the way you thought." She sighed and reached across the table to hold Naruto's hands. "Back then, it was always the older child who got everything when the father of the family moved on. And by the Sage splitting his power between his sons, it greatly insulted his elder son, like telling him he wasn't enough. Therefore, the oldest son resented his brother and soon enough, the bad blood between them spread to an all out death match between descendants."

"But it's not a death match anymore, right?" Naruto widened his eyes. "Right?"

"Well, that part is mostly up to you, Naruto." Nagato said, leaning forward. "Depending on what you are."

"What I am?" The blonde frowned in confusion. What did they mean. He was Naruto Uzumaki, age 24, blonde hair, blue eyes, human—right? He looked over to Minato, who was looking ashamed and pitiful now.

His father tried to steady his voice. "I-I need to tell you about your mother." He ran a hand over his face, frowning. Naruto stared and waiting for him to continue. "You're not exactly... human, Naruto. I am a supernatural fox, which gives you the chance for my genes. But your mother... was a distant descendant of the eldest brother—a far, far, far line. Very, very distanced but its true. There's just a speck of chance that you inherited her genes, though they weren't dominate in her until after she was changed. Such a small chance, but we need to see."

"Because, if you take after us, you are one of us. If you take after them, you must renounce all ties to us and be an Omega. But, if by some stroke of chance, you inherited both... You will be the single individual who wins this war for us." Nagato chuckled lightly.

Then, Naruto passed out.

-Line Break-

"I'm pregnant." Deidara checked each of Sasuke's now mobile joints, speaking to Itachi. The three of them were alone in common room, the pack was mostly under control now. With Madara's iron fist taking over while Itachi was suppose to be resting. Now it was the furthest thing from the ravens mind.

"You know I'm going to have to change you now that I'm Alpha. I can't have a human mate." Of all things, that jumped out of Itachi's mouth.

Deidara swiftly turned. "You're not happy, un?" He was shaking with anger already.

Itachi realized his mistake and quickly backpedaled. "No, no, no. I'm ecstatic, love! I'm so proud of you and I cannot wait for it to get here." Then he moved to hug his mate, speaking more sincerely. "We've been waiting for this to happen."

Sasuke's voice cut through their moment, oddly icy. "Let's get Naruto back before the baby gets here. He'll have a fit if he doesn't get to plan the baby shower."

A/N: Again, I apologize! The next one will definitely be better and give some answers about the past with Kushina and Minato with Naruto, Sasuke, and what the real reason for the war.