Disclaimer: Someone besides me owns Naruto. Bom chicka wah wah.

Notes: This story isn't told chronologically, at least not completely. Further chapters may start off earlier, but for the most part that's just this one. I wanted to give an overview of what Naruto's away life was like. This is by far my favorite chapter, so eat up!

-- Chapter 3: The Test --

Naruto trained. He had no other way of learning to control and stop Kyuubi. With the shadow clone method that Kakashi had taught him he grew quickly, but no where near quick enough. Speed, strength, and chakra control were all among the things that he worked on. He had no teacher to teach him jutsus, everything he learned he learned by himself, or by one thousand themselves.

After a little while, Naruto devised a test to determine whether he was in control, and if he could return to Konoha yet. This test was so difficult and so pushing, that it left Naruto unable to train the following day. Today was testing day.

Naruto stood in the field, mentally preparing himself for what was about to occur. He examined the trees, the land, the stream nearby; he was trying to get a firm understanding of the land around him, as he would need every advantage that he could get.

After a few minutes Naruto placed his hands together to form a seal. "Kage bunshin no jutsu." he said. The single clone that was generated looked at Naruto and nodded. Naruto nodded back. This test involved a clone, one singular clone. The clone took its distance and held out it's hand, attempting to form a Rasengan, a Futon Rasengan, in one hand. Naruto, nor his clone, had enough control to form it. Each knew this from the same knowledge.

Naruto began gathering his chakra and allowed small amounts of it to escape his body, forming armor around him. This was his much more advanced form of the Rasengan, but rather than having the intent to destroy, it protected. He had gotten the idea from Kyuubi's own chakra shielding.

The clone was still attempting to form the Futon Rasengan, but was growing much more frustrated. This was just as much the clone's test as it was Naruto's; after all, once gone, the clone's knowledge was Naruto's knowledge. Naruto knew that he did not have much more time left to prepare. He focused chakra in his feet and legs. With the additional chakra his speed doubled, but even that was not enough for him to pass his part of the test.

He put even more chakra in his feet, but with this surplus of chakra he elementally reconstructed it into wind, and placed it beneath the soles of his feet. With his clone training, Naruto had learned to float. While it was only just a few inch hover off the ground, it made him ten times faster than normal, and allowed him to jump twice as high. He had even learned to jump off the air, but it took far too much chakra to be anything close to practical.

The clone had the Rasengan in his hand, but there was no sign of any wind being added yet. Naruto had purposely not trained in doing this for the ability to do this test, he, as of now, had no other way to go about it. Finally, the clone yelled and Naruto knew the test was about to begin. Red chakra began consuming the clone, surrounding it.

Naruto watched as the tails formed, wondering just how much he had progressed the last week. So far the clones had not made any improvements in the previous tests. One tail; two tails; three tails; the fourth began to form, and Naruto was disappointed, but the clone managed to hold it back, and stayed at three tails. Naruto smiled, 'So I am getting stronger.'

Naruto rushed toward to the clone at incredible speeds. A red hand of chakra rushed toward him, but Naruto used the wind to slice it apart, pushing through toward the source. Another hand appeared in it's place, this time reinforced to prevent any wind damage. Naruto jumped, attempting to go over the new hand chasing him, but it was quick enough to follow. He threw shuriken at the source of the chakra, forcing it to block.

He landed a ways back. Neither one had hit the other, but Naruto was already at a disadvantage. Each had used chakra, but the clone had an infinite source. It was time to change the odds a little bit back in his favor. "Kage bunshin no jutsu," he said calmly, trying to retain his focus. Nineteen clones joined him.

Naruto did not need them for any strategy, you couldn't scheme against such a beast. They were simply a distraction, albeit a strong one, allowing the real Naruto to attack the Kyuubi clone. He allowed the clones to do whatever they wanted, he just had to find a way to surprise the beast.

Some of the clones formed Rasengans, two grouped together to form a Futon Rasengan, which Naruto was actually wondering how that would turn out. Most just relied on their speed and wind control, though.

Naruto slipped around behind the main clone, but still maintaining a reasonable distance back. He commanded his clones to rush the red Kyuubi form. While they attacked, he prepared his recently mastered move. The Rasengans slightly penetrated the wicked red chakra, but eventually they wore out against it. Regular and wind attacks did nothing to even reasonably disturb it. The Futon Rasengan had the best luck and blew a wide hole into the chakra armor, even slightly damaging the clone, but it quickly healed and replaced the missing chakra. Unfortunately the powerful attack also got rid of five regular clones.

Naruto's newest jutsu was ready. He created a new shape manipulation to put his wind recomposition into. His arm was surrounded by a jagged sword, filled with wind. While even Orochimaru's Kusangi could not pierce the chakra armor, the wind was sharper than anything.

He flew forward, pushing the limits of all his speed control. The clone turned, but not quick enough to block the upcoming attack. Naruto thrust his arm at the beast, the representation of all his anger, and struck it. The wind sword pierced the armor, and even pierced the clone. Naruto staggered back, expecting victory, but the clone was not finished. It could still heal, even after the massive attack that Naruto had delivered. Normally this clone would have disappeared after the first hit, but a Kyuubi powered clone was clearly stronger than most.

The clone was now horribly angry. It's red chakra flared. A giant red fist swung at Naruto, but he was too worn out to dodge, the last attack had taken too much out of him. He braced for it, and tried to hold his blue chakra armor. The fist hit him at full force and even with the armor he was not able to fully block it. He soared into the air for an instant, before hitting the ground with incredible force. Naruto passed out causing the clone to disappear as well. A smile was on his worn and bloody face; neither he nor his clone passed their test, but each was getting better.

---

Three years after leaving Konoha, Naruto was in Sawason, hunting for two S-Class missing-nin. This is how he managed to live; that is, by getting money from capturing and killing those who were in bingo books. He managed to get his hands on one by defeating a hunter-nin who was after Naruto himself. Naruto laughed when he saw his entry; it made it seem as though capturing him would be a piece of cake. He wasn't surprised when new ninja kept coming to try to capture him. Few recognized him though. When Naruto wasn't training he either wore one of the numerous hunter-nin masks he had won, or he would transform himself, using henge, into someone who looked entirely different. This also happened to be the reason why Naruto was actually able to collect on these rewards without being captured, though he had yet to complete one for Konoha.

The two ninja he was hunting called themselves the Cat Killers, and no not because they killed cats. They were called this for their eyes, which were mysteriously yellow, and had black surrounding the iris instead of the usual white. According to the entry, these two weren't barely S-Class ninja either, they eyes could paralyze the opponent, and nobody who saw it lived long enough to learn how to break it. Their speed was apparently very fast, but Naruto doubted whether it could match his powered up speed. Naruto compared the entries from Konoha's bingo book to those in Suna's and Kiriga's. The entries matched up, all providing mostly the same information, some having more or less on certain subjects. The most important detail that he found was how to find them. Both of them coveted beautiful women.

During the day he questioned the villagers in his henge form, though he quickly found that he had to pay to get any worthwhile words from the villagers. It didn't bother him though. 'The village needs the money, besides the bounty on these two is huge,' he thought. He came upon someone and held up the picture. "Have you seen either of these people?" he asked.

"How much are ya' willing to pay to know?"

Naruto nodded knowingly, already expecting this. He pulled out a few bills and handed them to the ragged man. "This should buy any information that you have."

The man quickly pocketed the money. "Yeah I've seen 'em. They've been in a few bars around here, constantly hounding the women."

"Do you know where they are staying now?"

"No, can't say I do."

Naruto nodded. "Thanks for your help."

The man smiled with crooked teeth, "No problem."

Naruto left, glad to finally have confirmed that the two were there. It was already late, so he created a few clones, which also transformed. The clones each turned into attractive women, looking like a more conservative version of sexy jutsu. He spread the clones out, having them seek out the bars and other likely places to find the two missing-nin. After assigning them their task, he headed to the nearest inn, which was very shabby. The price being charged was ridiculous, but Naruto knew they would do that to outsiders, it was their only form of earning money. The room was nowhere near one-star, with not much more than a bed and a simple bathroom. Their was only a toilet and a run-down grimy sink, no bathtub or shower.

Naruto sighed. He went into the bathroom, or restroom rather, and released his henge. He washed his face off as best as he was able to in such conditions. After that he went to rest on his bed, but he couldn't sleep yet; he had to wait until one of the clones spotted the two ninja. After half-an-hour he was growing impatient, so he took a food ration out of his pack and began eating it. It wasn't very good tasting. All of the food was dry, and the only thing to drink was water. Right now Naruto wanted a good serving of Ichiraku's Ramen.

One of the clones dispelled itself; Naruto examined his new memories. Apparently the clone had found the two 'Cat Killers,' but they didn't go after his clone, instead they went after a pink-headed girl. Naruto immediately identified this girl as Sakura. 'She must be assuming these are just run-of-mill perverts. Shit!' Naruto dashed out the window and onto the roof, rushing to where she was. He arrived just in time to see her go flying, but she wasn't getting up. 'Is she conscious? Is she even alive?' Naruto enhanced his hearing and heard her heartbeat, as well as her breaths, but aside from autonomic body functions she wasn't moving. 'Shit! She's either knocked out or paralyzed.'

Naruto began complex techniques he had learned during his past few years of training. He sent his chakra away from his body, but not just a little bit. He sent it to Sakura, and formed his armor around it. It took an enormous amount of focus to control it that far away, even though the distance was only around 20 feet. He had no choice though, there was no other way to protect her from what he was about to do.

He released even more chakra, changing it into wind. He created the equivalent of wind knives, which were invisible to naked eye. He sent them forward, faster than even he could move. The damage was quick and powerful. Their bodies were being torn up, but they still stood, managing to somehow prevent them from hitting vital points. 'It must be their damn eyes.'

'Fine,' he mused. 'I'll just use that.' He once again used his chakra, but this time he created a powerful, deadly tornado. The two may have been quick, but this was faster. It ripped their bodies from the ground. Naruto focused, changing the wind from pulling to pushing. They flew against the brick wall. After neither moved, Naruto turned his attention to the girl. She had either regained consciousness or the paralysis wore off. He looked at Sakura's features. He pink hair was the same as always, still showing off her forehead. Her skin was smooth and shining in the moonlight. He had always admired her, and still did.

Her head turned in his direction and she faced him, looking up. Naruto performed an earth technique, taking the bodies into the ground, and dashed away. Once outside the village Naruto performed another earth technique; both the bodies rose out of the ground. Naruto created two clones, and assigned each one to carry a body. He had each clone, as well as himself, use wind chakra beneath their feet. This way they would go fast and their footsteps would not be left. It certainly made any form of tracking hard.

As they left the village, the only thing Naruto could think about was how much he wanted to stop and just stay there. To talk to Sakura, to return to Konoha. 'I can't though. I still don't have control over Kyuubi. He may only have one tail, but there's no telling what he would do in a life or death situation. I must maintain my resolve. Only once I can stop all the tails will I return.'

---

Four months later, a hunter-nin walked into Konoha carrying the body of none other than Uzumaki Naruto. The guards' faces had delightfully amusing looks on them. The hunter-nin was sure that he would never forget that look. He walked up to them, both of which had a look of utter awe as they examined the hunter-nin. 'He took down Naruto?' they both simultaneously thought.

"I'm here to collect the bounty for Uzumaki Naruto."

"Uh right, right away. I'll take you to the Hokage's office, she'll want to know about this for sure."

The hunter-nin nodded. His mask was much like many of the ANBU masks, it had an animal painted on it. Though the animal that was chosen was the most intriguing part, for it was a fox. As they walked the stares from people were incredible. They had not seen this kid in three-and-a-half years. They wondered at how he had finally been caught. ANBU members were already following the hunter-nin. They couldn't allow Naruto to escape yet again, and none of them had any idea what the hunter-nin's skill level was.

The guard lead him up the stairs of the Hokage tower. Finally after what seemed like forever they reached her office. The guard knocked on the door. "What?" came a very annoyed voice, "This better not be something about that damn water problem again." The guard ignored her complaint and opened the door, letting the hunter-nin in. The ANBU team followed suit.

Tsunade's mouth hung open when she saw Naruto in the hunter-nin's arms. 'Just who is this guy she wondered?'

"I'm here to collect the bounty for Uzumaki Naruto, though I'm not entirely sure why you're so surprised. He is listed in the bingo book after all."

"Yes of course," she responded, trying to control herself. "First off, I'll have to have him secured, because he has managed to escape for quite a while."

"That much trouble from a genin?" the hunter-nin asked rhetorically. The ANBU team took the unconscious Naruto from the hunter-nin, and immediately secured his limbs with wire. They left the room silently. Tsunade prepared the bounty for the hunter-nin, and was about to hand it over, but she paused.

"Is there a problem?" he asked.

"I'm sorry, it's just that it's hard to believe that he was finally captured. I have a request."

"Yes?"

"I'd like to know who could best Naruto at battle. I'd like to see your face."

The hunter-nin nodded. He put his face down and removed his mask, placing it at his side. He lifted his head up, and Tsunade examined him. His hair was black and his face had many scars on it. His eyes were the most defining characteristic though, they shone a bright blue. Tsunade nodded, "Thank you," she said, slightly disappointed.

The man nodded, and a smile began to form on his lips. He began to count. "Five. Four." Tsunade looked at him and quickly examined for any danger that may be present, but nothing seemed out of the ordinary. "Three. Two." His grin grew wider, and Tsunade wondered just what was going on.

"One." With that the doors to the office broke open and the ANBU team rushed in.

"Hokage-sama! Uzumaki Naruto has escaped! We had him in custody and he just disappeared!" Tsunade's face was even more shocked than when she first saw Naruto. The ANBU team turned to the man in the room.

At blinding speeds the hunter-nin moved around the room knocking out each of the people on the ANBU team before returning to stand in front of Tsunade. "Just who are you?" she asked.

A puff of smoke appeared around the man, and a different voice came out of it. "Sorry baa-chan, but I just hate interrogations."

Her chin just about hit the floor as she recognized Naruto's voice. Yes, it had grown more deep and was slightly different, but she knew it anywhere. The smoke cleared and with her face still just as screwed up she looked at Naruto. He had gotten even taller, now standing at six-foot-two. His hair was still just as goofy, short and spiked. His whiskers had faded and barely even visible. The thing that surprised her the most was how manly he looked, because in her memory he was just a round-faced child. His clothes were the same as always though, a mix of black and orange. Luckily though, the orange had become even less, just one small stripe going down on each sleeve of his jacket. Even his pants had no orange, and were pure black.

"Na-Na-Naruto," she stuttered. She collected herself, once again. "What have you been doing! Where did you go! Why did you leave!" she demanded the answers, she didn't ask.

"Training," he said simply.

"Obviously training, but why and for what purpose."

"Let me put it this way: nobody will ever see Kyuubi again. I have complete control over him and his chakra."

"Is that it? You left because of Kyuubi? You idiot! Do you have any idea how much we worked to get you back?"

"One at a time Tsunade-sama. But to answer both of your questions, yes. Kyuubi was dangerous, looking back know I didn't even know anywhere near how dangerous he could be compared to my knowledge now. And I know you worked to get me back, I was working twice as hard to escape every time a team came for me. Not to mention, what's with the bingo book entry?" He held up the book on the right page to emphasize his point. "Surely you could have given them more of a chance by putting me at jounin level, or maybe including some of my skills. Speaking of which, I need to get promoted soon."

"Naruto, you just got back. There's no need to hurry. You have plenty of time, besides we don't even know if you qualify to be a jounin."

"I have all necessary skills, I made sure of that. Learning to elementally recompose another nature was a bitch. And if you consider all my captures and kills in the bingo book then I have more than enough experience. And let me guess, everyone else on the rookie nine has already been promoted to jounin? Right?"

"Well, yes, but like I said Naruto, you don't need to hurry. You've got plenty of time. Whether you like or not you're going to have to be interrogated, you've been away for three years. And don't think you're getting out of this without some form of punishment!"

By the look on her face he knew she was serious and a frown formed on Naruto's face. "Three-and-a-half years." he corrected. Another ANBU team entered the room. The first thing they did was tie Naruto's hands together. "You're lucky I'm letting them take me!" And with that said, he complied as they escorted him out of the room and to the interrogations room of the building. Naruto put his head down and sighed. 'Maybe coming back wasn't the best idea.'