How to Dispose of a Body

by Lord22

Sasuke's attempt at a surprise attack on Kakashi during the bell test was successful. Very successful. In fact, he killed their sensei. Now Team 7 finds itself with the corpse of a high-level jonin and only their basic training from the academy to help them cover it up. Will they be able to hide the evidence? Or will their first week as ninjas also be their last? DISCONTINUED.

25. Author's Note

Notice:

Okay, first off, I'd like to thank everybody who has stopped to read and review this story over the time it's been running. I never would have made it this far without you.

That makes what comes next all the harder. I'm going to have to discontinue this fic.

This isn't for lack of ideas and it's not for lack of inspiration. There were all kinds of places I wanted to go with this fic. Unfortunately, a story has to be built on a strong foundation of characters. And I've come to realize that the foundation for this fic is crumbling as I build.

Naruto's character arc has gone practically nowhere for the last ten chapters, maybe more. Sasuke and Ino's characterization has become rather inconsistent. I tried to patch these issues in the following chapters, but those were just a stopgap. At the end of the day, there are too many problems. When I fill in one, I create another.

One of the things I've learned in writing is that sometimes the only way to go forward is to go back.

That said, this doesn't mean that this is the end of this universe. Not by a long shot. The Hunt for Tsunade and Dosu's Great Escape are still considered canon. How to Dispose of a Body, however, will not be relegated to an alternate continuity.

I may do a remake of this story at a later date, once I've finished Dosu's Great Escape. With any luck, I'll be able to build a better foundation this time.

Thanks for all your reviews and support. I hope we'll look back at this fic as a first draft to an even better story.

Best wishes,

Lord22