Here is the next chapter. I hope you enjoy.

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto or the characters, Masashi Kishimoto does.

Ino stood in front of Chiyo with the sword through her abdomen. Blood had dripped down onto the ground at her feet. She had blood dripping from her mouth as she turned her head to look at Chiyo.

With a pained expression, she asked, "Elder Chiyo, are you all right?"

"Ino!" Sakura shouted. She continued to run to help her but stopped when Sasori pushed the sword further into Ino's abdomen.

Ino winced in pain as Sasori said, "Hurts doesn't it? This sword is also poisoned so you can't move. It's pointless to keep fighting."

Ino was trembling and as she tried to heal herself, she couldn't control her chakra.

Ino then turned back to Chiyo and said, "Elder Chiyo, hurry and take the antidote."

Chiyo took out the syringe from her sleeve but instead of using it on herself; she injected it into Ino's leg. Ino and Sakura looked on in shock as she collapsed, breathing heavily.

Sasori looked at his grandmother, emotionlessly and tried to pull the sword out of Ino but she held on to it, determined to not let go even if he was stronger than her.

She exclaimed, "I'm not letting go!"

Sasori thought to himself, "I must admit, she's a lot tougher than she looks. In that case…"

Sasori disconnected the fore arm to reveal a small dagger. He stepped back from Ino, ran forward and shouted, "Die!"

But then, he was stabbed by two swords through the area of the chest with Scorpion written on it. Blood trickled from his mouth as he looked to both sides of him. His Father and Mother puppets held the swords that were pierced through him. It was revealed that Chiyo used her chakra strings to control the puppets and she used a seal to keep him in place.

"You let your guard down at the very end, Sasori," Chiyo said.

Breathing heavily, she continued, " No matter how much of you has become a puppet, you still use chakra which meant you had a living part somewhere. Your only weak point and the only thing that was missing from that empty shell must have been that part. You must have moved it before my technique could take full effect and then you transferred it into another puppet. Your puppet bodies are just that, puppets. Your true form is the part that houses your chakra, that living core in your chest!"

Ino then collapsed onto the ground, with the sword still in her body.

Sakura ran to her side and shouted, "Ino!"

She kneeled down behind her back as Chiyo crawled over in front of Ino.

Chiyo then ordered, "Sakura, close her wound from behind while I pull the sword out."

Sakura nodded and got to work, even if she is at her limit, she will not let her best friend die. Sakura used her healing chakra on the area where the sword stuck out, as Chiyo slowly pulled it out. Ino writhed in pain, trembling as Chiyo pulled the sword out.

"Bear with me, Ino. It's almost out," Chiyo told her calmly.

Chiyo pulled the sword out and threw it to the side as she helped heal her.

Sasori then said, "Don't bother; I stabbed her in a vital point. Even without poison, she'll be dead in no time; she already lost a lot of blood. You two are medical ninja; you should realize that I aimed for a spot that's impossible to heal."

Sakura turned around and glared at him, while Chiyo simply replied, "I've already finished with the first-aid techniques. The technique I'm using now isn't a simple healing technique."

Sasori looked on in confusion as he asked, "What?"

Chiyo explained, "I'm giving her my life energy itself. It's a reincarnation technique."

Sasori asked in shock, "Reincarnation technique?"

"This was a technique I originally developed for you; to save your life if you ever needed it. Only I can use it. With this technique, one could even bring a puppet to life. At the cost of one's own life of course, but I guess that dream can no longer come true."

Sasori murmured quietly, "How idiotic, have you gone senile, you old hag?"

Ino was listening to the whole conversation, and then she slowly lifted herself up.

Chiyo asked, "Ino, are you all right?"

Ino answered, "Yes. Are you, Elder Chiyo?"

Sasori interrupted, "What happened? I thought your reincarnation technique was supposed to kill you, in exchange for breathing life back into someone else."

Chiyo explained, "Ino may have been critically injured, but she wasn't dead. That's why I was able to survive."

Sasori then said, "What a shame."

Ino suddenly ran up to him and punched his face, and managed to crack the exterior.

"I'd stop if I were you; this body feels no pain," Sasori said.

Ino glared at him as he added, "Keep hitting me and the only thing you'll hurt is your hand. You women just love to waste your time doing pointless things. Even if my grandmother, my blood, were to die right now, I'd feel nothing. My heart is as my body; she'd just be one more of the hundreds, the thousands, of others that I've killed. Things are much simpler that way."

Ino retorted angrily, "Don't you understand what a life is?! What family is?!"

Sasori asked emotionlessly, "Hey, is that really something a shinobi should say?"

Then Ino asked furiously, "Why? Why is that the only way you can look at the world?!"

Chiyo interrupted, "That's enough, Ino."

Ino protested, "But…"

Chiyo explained, "Sasori was made into what he is by the twisted, misguided teachings of Sunagakure."

Then Sasori said, "Why don't you try having a body like mine? Maybe then you'll understand; a body that never decays, unbound by mortality. As a puppet, I can repair and recreate myself as often as I need. If I need other people around, I can just make them into more puppets if I think they're worthy. A collection isn't just about numbers; quality is more important than quantity."

Ino continued to glare at him as she asked, "What the hell are you?"

Sasori answered, "If I had to choose, I'd say I'm a human who couldn't completely become a puppet, I guess. I exist as a puppet, but an incomplete one with a living human core. Not a person but not a puppet either. I'll be dead soon."

He paused, then added, "Before I go, I guess I'll do something pointless too. Consider it a reward for beating me."

Ino and Sakura looked surprised as he asked, "You wanted to know about Orochimaru, right?"

Ino and Sakura listened intently as he directed them, "In ten days' time, go to Tenchikyou Bridge in Kusagakure at noon."

Ino asked, "What's there?"

Then Sasori answered, his voice slowly becoming quieter, "I've got a spy working as one of Orochimaru's subordinates. We were supposed to… rendezvous… there… "

Then as he stopped talking, the Father and Mother puppets fell forward along with him, his headband at his head, giving the three kunoichi assurance that he is in fact dead this time.

Ino said, "It's over Elder Chiyo, I knew you could do it."

Chiyo shook her head, "No, I'm the one who should've been killed. Sasori saw through my last attack, but for some reason, he didn't try to dodge. He left himself open."

Sakura asked, "You don't think he…"

Chiyo didn't answer as she looked at her grandson one last time as she lifted herself to stand. They were walking slowly to get their bearings but Chiyo collapsed, her breathing labored. Ino and Sakura went to her side and healed where she was injured. Sakura looked at Ino and the both thought the same thing; they needed to help Chiyo with the poison.

Sakura suggested, "Elder Chiyo, let's get back to Sunagakure, Ino and I can make you an antidote. Then we can…"

Chiyo cut her off, "No, there is something important… I still have to do."

Ino looked at her worriedly and thought, "What could be so important that she would push herself?"

Meanwhile with Kakashi and Naruto, Kakashi had gathered up enough chakra and his Sharingan had changed into a different pattern.

Kakashi turned to Naruto and instructed him, "Naruto, keep back a bit."

Naruto nodded and replied, "Got it."

Then he pulled back as Kakashi pressed forward. He caught up to Deidara a bit before saying, "Mangekyou Sharingan!"

Kakashi focused on Deidara and a vortex had appeared, surrounding Deidara as it tried to suck him in. Since Deidara was moving, it was hard to get a good target on him. As a result, he missed the first time, but he tried again and managed to sever his right arm off. Then Deidara flew down on his clay bird into the forest. When Deidara thought he was clear as he descended into the forest, Naruto and a shadow clone created a Rasengan and aimed at him. Deidara dodged it, only to realize that Naruto aimed for the bird's head and broke it off.

Naruto yelled, "Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!", creating two more clones and the three caught the head with Gaara in it.

They landed on a branch and they breaking the clay bird open in haste, desperately trying to see his friend. Kakashi was on another branch with one of Naruto's clones helping him. He watched as his student was hoping that his friend was still alive.

Kakashi sadly murmured, "Naruto…"

Naruto finally opened the clay bird and saw Gaara still motionless. He shook him, saying, "Hey Gaara, can you hear me? Come on!"

Gaara didn't stir, Naruto shut his eyes as he stood back and shouted in despair, "Gaara!"

Deidara watched him from a distance, saying in his thoughts, "I thought I told you before that he was already dead."

Naruto stood rigid, angrily declaring, "I'll kick the shit out of you!"

Deidara replied, "Yeah, yeah. I'll fight with you again soon."

Kakashi then said to him, "You're letting your guard down."

Then Naruto came up from behind Deidara and gave him a hard punch to his jaw, knocking him off the branch.

Then Kakashi added, "I warned you that you let your guard down!"

Then Naruto created four more clones as they all held Deidara to the ground. Then Naruto kneed Deidara in his abdomen and continuously punched him, getting blood on his knuckles. Then he made one more Rasengan and drove it into Deidara only to see that he used a clay replacement. His clones disappeared as Naruto trembled in anger.

But then in his head, he heard Kurama shout, "Naruto, calm down!"

He added, "As much as I hate him like you now, it's pointless to be upset about it. The only thing we can do now is try to at least capture him. For right now, switch with me, I'd like to say something to him."

Naruto silently agreed, his anger slipping away only for the air around to be dense with killing intent.

Kurama took over and shouted to Deidara, "Hey, my vessel would love to pummel you more and before I might've taken advantage of his emotions. But you Akatsuki are slowly trapping others of my kind and that is simply unforgiveable for me. Also know this; as long as Naruto is my friend, I'll help him stop you and make you all pay severely."

Then he gave Naruto control again and he shouted, "Fūton: Shinkūha!"

The wind gusted around him, cutting tree branches away to clear the dense forest.

Deidara hid in some bushes, thinking in surprise, "Was that the Kyuubi speaking to me just now?"

Blood trickled from his mouth, he added, "No wonder he punched so hard. Now he is using a wind technique to try to seek me out. I may have underestimated him if he befriended the Kyuubi."

He paused, and sensed others coming; it turned out to be Ino, Sakura and Elder Chiyo. Ino and Sakura were holding up Chiyo in her weakened state.

Ino said, "We finally caught up."

Naruto turned and called out, "Ino, Sakura-chan, did you finish the other guy off?" Ino nodded as Kakashi came down to them as well.

Chiyo asked solemnly, "What happened to Gaara?"

Naruto flinched but he didn't answer as he looked up to where two of his clones were holding Gaara. Chiyo grimly added, "Alright."

Deidara looked on in shock as he realized that Sasori was dead. But then he thought, "At least, he was able to die in an artistic way."

He crawled out of the bushes he was hiding in only to be caught by Team Guy.

"Good work, Neji," Guy complimented.

Neji smirked as he replied, "No problem."

Deidara then said, "I see, that must be the Byakugan that differs from the Sharingan; I've never seen it in person. As much as I would love to see how they are different from Itachi's Sharingan, I must make my escape."

Guy then declared, "With Konoha's strongest platoon, Team Guy, on your tail, there is no escape!"

Then Deidara quickly fled, with Team Guy running after him. He kept running until he found the body of his clay bird that fell from before. Then he pulled some clay from the bird with his teeth and chewed it.

Then when he was finished chewing, he said to all of them, "I'll show you my ultimate creation."

He swallowed the clay and then his body slowly started to fill out like a balloon.

Neji saw what he was trying to do and shouted, "Everyone get away!"

They all started to run as Deidara yelled, "Art is a blast!"

Then his body burst in a huge explosion, burning close to the others. But then a vortex appeared, sucking in the explosion. As it disappeared, Kakashi fell back and was breathing heavily.

Ino asked in shock, "Kakashi-Sensei, what did you do?"

Kakashi replied, "I warped the blast into another dimension."

Ino looked at her teacher surprised as he asked, "Is everyone all right?"

They all nodded and the two Naruto clones brought Gaara down with them. One of them looked to Ino and pleaded, "Ino…"

Ino nodded at his unspoken plea while Chiyo looked at Gaara with a grim expression. They all moved away from the forest and Gaara was placed on the ground in a clearing. Ino was checking Gaara over while Naruto and the others watched.

Naruto quietly asked, "Ino?"

Ino looked down at Gaara and sadly shook her head. She stood up and a few spaces away as she looked at her distraught teammate, trembling and biting his lip.

He asked out loud, "Why? Why did Gaara have to die like this?"

Tears started to fall from his eyes as he added, speaking to Gaara, "You're the Kazekage, damn it! You just became the Kazekage!"

Chiyo said to him, "Calm yourself, Naruto Uzumaki."

He shouted angrily, "Shut the hell up!" He turned as the tears flowed non-stop from his eyes and he glared at Chiyo.

He continued, "It's your fault! If you God damned Sand shinobi hadn't put Shukaku inside him, none of this would've happened! Do you have any idea what kind of burden he carried?! Damn the Jinchūriki. You have no right to act like you're better, to label us and use us…"

He paused to wipe his tears on his sleeve then continued, "Maybe it's different now that I befriended Kurama, but I still felt the way Gaara did. I couldn't save Sasuke, I couldn't save Gaara… I trained for three years with Kurama's help and nothing has changed."

He silently sobbed but then stopped as he watched Chiyo walk to Gaara, kneeling beside him and started her technique on him.

Ino looked on in shock and protested, "Elder Chiyo that technique will…" She only turned her head and weakly smiled in reply.

Naruto asked, "What are you doing?!"

Ino held him back as she answered, "Elder Chiyo is bringing Gaara-kun back to life."

Shocked, Naruto asked, "Can she actually do that?"

Sakura explained, "This is a technique that only Elder Chiyo knows."

Chiyo was faltering, her chakra flow was low and she said, "I don't have enough chakra left." Then Naruto came up on the other side of Gaara and held his hands out.

"Please use my chakra! Then you can do the technique right, Granny?" he asked while holding his hands out.

She replied wearily, "Place your hands on top of mine."

Naruto placed his hands on Chiyo's and expelled his chakra out, mixing with Chiyo's.

Chiyo watched him as he used his chakra to help and said while smiling, "I'm happy someone like you has appeared in the shinobi world we foolish old people created. Everything I've ever done was a mistake, but now, at the end, it looks like I'll finally be able to do the right thing. Sunagakure and Konoha… Their future will be much different than the way things were back in my day."

She paused to look up in the sky and continued, "That strange power of yours that Kakashi mentioned… That power will have a strong influence on the future. Become a Hokage like nonw before you. And Ino…"

Ino asked, "Yes?"

Chiyo replied, "Next time, save the people who are important and dear to you, not some old hag. You and I are a lot alike; you'll be a strong kunoichi in the future. There aren't many girls as chivalrous as you and Sakura around. Also Sakura, you will surpass your master as a kunoichi. And Naruto, this is a request from an old woman. You are the only one who can understand Gaara's pain and Gaara understands your pain. Please save Gaara."

Chiyo slowly breathed her last breath and Gaara began to stir. He sat up and turned to Naruto, who had his hand on his shoulder.

Naruto said with relief, "Gaara."

Gaara looked up at him and quietly thought, "Naruto…"

He looked around him and found that he was surrounded by several Sand shinobi, including his older sister and brother. The people around him were all happy to see him alive and well.

Naruto explained, "They all ran here to come save you.

"Gaara-sama! Are you okay?!" a girl named Matsuri asked.

Gaara only nodded and everyone cheered, happy that he was safe. Then Matsuri and another girl were fussing Gaara while Temari tried to keep them away from her brother, they even pushed Naruto out of the way.

Kankurou came to his side to cheer him up, "The girls who drool over the cool elite types are always the weakest ones. That's how it goes."

Naruto replied, "I think Shikamaru told me something like that once too."

Kankurou smiled and said, "Thank you, Naruto."

Naruto objected, "You should thank the old lady over there, not me."

He looked over at Elder Chiyo, who was motionless, as he said, "She saved Gaara with some kinda amazing medical ninjutsu. She's passed out now, but she'll come around when we get back to the village-"

"No, you're wrong," Kankurou cut him off.

"I'm wrong, about what?" Naruto asked in confusion.

Kankurou explained, "It wasn't medical ninjutsu. It was a life-transferring technique, Elder Chiyo is dead."

"Wh-What do you mean?" Naruto asked.

Kankurou continued, "It's a ninjustu that allows you to bring back the dead, in exchange for your own life. Many years ago, the Puppet Brigades were conducting research on how to bring their puppets to life; Elder Chiyo was in charge of it. They were able to figure out the theory behind it, but… In the midst of their research, they decided it was too risky. They made it illegal to conduct the research on humans and forbade anyone to use the technique."

Naruto stood up, dumbfounded that Elder Chiyo gave her life to save Gaara and he sadly looked at Chiyo as he recalled her last words to him. Ino and Sakura both held her as tears flowed from their eyes, with Chiyo's brother there as well.

He says, "Her face looks so peaceful that I keep thinking that she's going to burst out laughing."

Then Temari snapped Naruto out of his stupor by saying, "Naruto, you really are strange person; you have the power to change people. Elder Chiyo was always saying that she didn't care what happened to the Village. She wasn't the type of person who would do this for Gaara."

Kakashi added, "Elder Chiyo has placed the future in yours and Gaara's hands. A splendid end, befitting a shinobi."

Naruto nodded and replied, "Just like the Third."

Kakashi confirmed, "That's right."

Naruto added, "I really understand how she felt now."

Gaara then struggled to stand up but then Naruto helped him stand and he requested, "Everyone, pray for Elder Chiyo."

With that said, everyone closed their eyes and bowed their heads in respect for Elder Chiyo. A brave soul who at the very end, died for Sunagakure and the Kazekage.

AN: I'm sure that if anyone had read the manga or seen the anime you'll notice that a lot of the fight scenes are the same but a with a few tweaks of my own. I hope you all enjoyed this chapter, please feel free to leave a review.