Dear Readers,

I am discontinuing Naruto: The Smarter Choice and I will not regret it. You see, it isn't that I don't know where to go with the story, but rather that I no longer have the motivation to write it out. I will make no excuses. I screwed up in the execution of this plot line. I have no idea what I was thinking when I introduced Sansai. I would explain, but that would mess up the present I'm going to present to you. Unlike most authors who discontinue their stories, I will leave you with some semblance of completion. Lo and behold, a complete summary of what I had planned to do with Naruto: The Smarter Choice.

XXXX

Before the Chunin Exam Finals:

Under Jiraiya, Naruto will be taught the Summoning Technique. Jiraiya will get bored after about a week and throw Naruto off a cliff. Kakashi will teach Naruto how the cut a tree with wind chakra.

Sasuke will progress rapidly in lightning chakra manipulation. By the Finals he will have learned the Thunderbolt Technique. (Yes, it is too tiring to translate these.)

Sakura will learn the Earth Style Wall Technique and will be working on the Mud River Flow Technique.

During the Sand Sound Invasion:

A team consisting of Kiba, Neji, Shikamaru, and Pakkun is sent to tail the Sand Siblings. Sakura, Sasuke, and Naruto are ordered to ready themselves for battle and then act as backup for Shikamaru's squad.

Shino vs. Kankuro, completely canon.

Neji vs. Temari, Neji owns, but is injured badly by last ditch attack.

Team 7 has a run in with a Blood Clone of Orochimaru. It quickly gives Sasuke a curse mark and then dispels itself. Naruto summons a mid size toad and requests that it get Sasuke to some medical attention and to request for backup.

Naruto and Sakura arrive at the scene of the sandstorm. Long story short, Naruto shows impressive leadership qualities by effectively commanding the remains of the squads about evenly with Gaara in a half Shukaku state. When that fails he summons Gamabunta and it's essentially canon from there.

Meanwhile…

Sansai undid his gravity seal and entered the four point barrier just before it finished forming. He immediately has to deal with two blood clones of Orochimaru. (Imagine a total of half Orochimaru's strength; a fourth of his intelligence.) By then Oro was just then using Edo Tensei.



Then Sansai quickly efficiently, ruthlessly destroyed the sound Four. (If Gai can break a tree ft thick wall, Sansai can break a roof.) Upon seeing that the Third has activated the Shinki Fuujin, he leaves them to their (canon) fate.

Sansai oddly enough, is now the most obvious choice for 5th Hokage. Not trusting Jiraiya or Tsunade to do it right, he accepts. His first order is for Jiraiya and Naruto to retrieve Tsunade so that she can establish that medical division that she used to be so adamant about.

The Search for Tsunade

The only thing not canon is that Naruto is also developing his wind nature. No surprise there.

Meanwhile…

Sansai has created a blood clone to deal with the Hokage duties. The real Sansai however, is on a mission to secure an alliance with Kumogakure. He brings along with him Kakashi, Sasuke, and Sakura under the guise that Kakashi is Kakashi, Sasuke is Sansai's apprentice, and Sakura is the only field medic Sasuke's age. (Wink wink) ;)

In truth, they couldn't completely seal Orochimaru's new curse mark. Sasuke was there so that Sansai could keep an eye on him. Sakura is there so that she doesn't feel abandoned.

The alliance meeting is a one on one with the Raikage. She claims to hold a grudge against Sansai.

A bloody Sansai exits the meeting apparently unscathed, and declares that anyone who crosses him will meet with a similar fate. Later on the way back, he drops his genjutsu to reveal that he isn't fatally injured, but if they don't get back quickly, Sansai will die of blood loss.

A year later…

Sasuke defects and Sansai refuses to send a retrieval squad. He sends Hunter Nin instead. Naruto rushes to try and save Sasuke. By the time he gets to the Valley of the End, the Hunter Nin are dead and Sasuke is long gone, servant to the snake.

Three years later…

Akasuki has deemed the Kyuubi vessel to be far too powerful. If he is not captured now, Pein's plans will not succeed. Deidara and Sasori are sent to distract the Hokage and his forces, while Itachi and Kisame take the Jinchuuriki just before it returns to Konoha.

Sansai and Deidara fight a titanic battle; both know that the first to strike a solid blow will be the victor. After killing Deidara, Sansai is immediately assassinated by Sasori.

XX



…And that is what I had. Although it was far more detailed when it was in my mind. Oh well. Tell me what you thought of it if you wish. It was a pleasure while I was writing. Maybe now I can feel better about trying to concentrate on my other stories.

Adios, for now.

Eye of the Blizzard