Chapter 1: Birth

(MC POV)

He surveyed the room, everything appearing large and blurry. The chamber seemed to be crafted from clay, its color earthy. The yellow light above accentuated the earthly ambiance. Clearly, he wasn't in the hospital anymore. Nor was he at home or any familiar place.

Where am I?

His gaze wandered to the two towering figures enclosing him. He attempted to move his arms, but they refused to cooperate. One of the figures lifted him.

How can he lift me so effortlessly?

And then realization struck.

Am I a baby?!

...

A week had passed, and he had come to accept the fact that he had been reborn into this world with his memories intact. Moreover, over the course of this week, his vision had become clearer, allowing him to gather more information. He had been reincarnated into the world of Naruto, and to his dismay, based on the forehead protectors people wore, he found himself in Sunagakure.

Like many others, he had immersed himself in the world of Naruto at some point in his life. Sunagakure was not unfamiliar to him, especially due to Gaara's friendship with Naruto. Looking back on his previous life, he had been a doctor specializing in emergency medicine. For 25 years, he had dedicated his life to his craft, working in the ICU of one of the region's largest hospitals. He had remained unmarried, focusing solely on his profession. Scratch that. He now realized he had been a lonely man, albeit a realization that came a bit too late. At some point, he had accepted his solitary existence. All in all, he had been an ordinary guy.

"It's time for you to get changed, Raito! How's my baby doing?"

His daydream abruptly ended as his mother and her entourage entered the room.

"Sorry for leaving you alone for a bit. But it looks like you've been having fun by yourself?!"

He couldn't help but focus on the woman who had just walked in. Her skin was not fair by any means. She was tall, dark-skinned, and white-haired, an unusual combination. If anything, she didn't seem to belong to Suna. Her appearance contrasted with the fair-skinned, brown-haired maids who stood before her.

"Here is the water you requested, Chibi-sama."

Over the past few days, he had come to realize that his family must be well-off in this village. Although their house wasn't grand and had an ancient design, it was substantial in its own right. They had numerous maids and visitors coming and going. On several occasions, he had noticed that many ninjas would visit his father, even late at night, indicating his father held a high position.

"Shamon-sama has returned!"

The door swung open abruptly, revealing a stoic, tall, fair-skinned man entering the room. His most distinguishing feature was an intricate green dragon-shaped tattoo surrounding the top of his head, with a black claw covering his right eye.

"Welcome home, dear. It seems like today hasn't been easy for you either," his mother warmly greeted the man, his father.

"We haven't heard anything from Lord First, and it has been three days," the man frowned. "But let's forget about work for a moment. How are you and Raito? Why are you walking around when you should be in bed recovering?"

As he observed their interaction, Raito released a sigh of relief.

It appears I am part of a somewhat loving family. I can't quite imagine how I should interact with my new parents, but at the very least, I think they are good people. However, I need to observe more.

In the ninja world, one cannot afford to be anything less than cautious. Despite Masashi Kishimoto's attempt to paint a positive picture of the world and its main characters, Raito had grasped early on that it was a realm steeped in bloodshed. From a tender age, Genin were honed to be instruments of war. Since the inception of the first ninja war, villages had relentlessly vied for resources to further their own agendas, often pitted against one another. Not to mention the existence of formidable beings in this realm, possessing unimaginable powers.

Furthermore, Raito realized that he was born during the era of the first Kazekage. This meant that he came into existence years after Hashirama established the village system. Regrettably, he couldn't recall much information about Sunagakure during this time.

It's unfortunate that I can't do anything in this situation.

As a baby, Raito was at the mercy of his mother and the maids who cared for him. He yearned for more information desperately. He needed to formulate a plan to adapt and, more importantly, a plan to survive.

…

"Shamon-sama! You are required at the Kazekage building immediately!"

A loud knock shattered the silence of the night, followed by hushed whispers.

"Has he returned?"

"There was an accident..." the ninja responded.

"You should go now, my dear. We will be waiting for your return," Chibi gently touched her husband.

"Thank you. I'll be back as soon as I can." Shamon hastily kissed his wife and left the room.

Footsteps approached, and Chibi's figure gradually emerged.

"Oh, you're awake! I apologize for disturbing your sleep," she affectionately scooped up her baby and soothingly lured him back to his peaceful slumber.