Reincarnation
In the Royal Alf forest, the Sacred Tree is shining and its source is an impossibly large fruit. Inside the fruit is a being, more specifically a high elf who looks to be a five-year-old boy with long sun-kissed golden hair which slowly gradients to crimson below his nape.
Surrounding the fruits is the king of all elves, Larfal Ljos Alf, and his consort, Cecilia Ljos Alf, and their royal retainers and guards, and, more surprisingly, unicorns and spirits.
"At long last, the Child of Nature has finally awakened. Everyone, start the preparation."
At the order of their king, the elves snap out of their reverie and begin the preparations. The overflowing amount of natural energy left their mind and souls in peace and tranquility.
Soon, the light dies down, and from the fruit emerges the child. And he takes nine steps forward. With every step he took, the whole forest seemed to light up. At the ninth step, he stops and looks around, surrounded by the little spirits.
"One at a time guys! We can speak as much as we want now. And thanks for keeping me company, everyone! It would be boring otherwise."
Unbeknownst to Naruto, everyone is surprised. They thought a baby would emerge, but instead, it was a five-year-old boy. You learn something new every day.
One thing is for sure, though. He is naked without a single attire to cover his modesty and skin. The attendants rush towards him, scaring the spirits away.
"Hey, what's the big idea? You are scaring my friends away."
Naruto's screams are ignored by everyone. He can easily force his way out of here, of course, but it would leave a pretty bad taste if he were to hurt them. They are sincerely worried about him.
"Please excuse my imprudence, Your Royal Highness. I will gladly accept any punishment." A male elf in butler clothes said.
"It is fine. I am getting kind of chilly anyway." The butler just nods his head, accepts it, and makes way for the King and Queen.
Currently, Naruto is assessing his new body. The past five years, trapped inside the fruit, were torturous for him. As promised, Dream Lady provided vital knowledge for him, such as Koine, Elvish, Ancient Elvish, Hieroglyphs, politics, and surprising manners and etiquette.
She was adamant that his manners and etiquette were up to her standards, which were stupidly high.
Still, thanks to her, he is sure he will become someone his mom would be proud of. His mother is still proud of him no matter what though.
His mind registered the presence of two individuals, namely the Rulers of this forest, King Larfal and Queen Cecilia.
"Greetings to the Child Of Nature. I am King Larfal Ljos Alf and this here is my Queen, Cecilia Ljos Alf. It is a pleasure to meet you."
All these pleasantries left his ear as soon as they left his mouth, though he still did his part. Or else, he would be nagged again. He had a feeling that both the king and the queen were also bored of this conversation.
"I have a request to make, Your Majesties. I would like to start my training tomorrow."
It was instantly rejected by Queen Cecilia. Most of the elves here also seem to support their queen.
"You are still young! As a mother, this I can't allow! Even if you are stronger than most here, it is not right!"
King Larfal tried to interject. Keyword being tried. A glare from his wife is enough to silence him. Guess we now know who wears the pants in their relationship.
"Your Majesty Cecilia, this is an important affair that can't be delayed. You know the meaning of my existence and what it entails so please reconsider."
She looked really upset but finally relented. She is really scary but also kind. She reminded Naruto of his mother.
His trainers and instructors were easy on him perhaps due to their queen's order or their concerns. He can't tell for sure but he can say for sure he is loved. Not because he is the Child of Nature or anything, they genuinely love him for who he is.
Also, he received his Elvish name, Thalion Ljos Alf. Most of them call him just Naruto though. Only on formal occasions do they call him his Elvish name.
As for his training, magic, swordsmanship, and archery are going smoothly. He has already surpassed his instructor and the best swordsman in the forest and his magic and archery are among the best.
The blessing from Dream manifests in the form of a skill, 'Chosen One'. It allows him to emulate the powers and experiences of his friends and comrades, though he can't access some powers. But they certainly help him.
His past experiences help a lot but he is surprised by his talent for swords. It is like the sword is just an extension of his limbs.
Archery is surprisingly fun for Naruto. Even though he is a close-range fighter, he can certainly see the appeal of a bow. Perhaps that's why Sasuke's Susanoo has a bow.
Magic is relatively difficult for him. It is similar but, at the same time, different from chakra. But good old Shadow Clone training helps him out. Hey, two heads are better than one, and certainly, hundreds of heads are better than two, that's for sure.
His little friends, the spirits, also pitch in and give him their view. It is a little difficult to decipher what they mean but their advice certainly helps.
Now, he can say for sure that he has fully mastered all the spells in the archives. Of course, 'Chosen One' plays a large role in it but he certainly puts in an equal amount of effort.
His training was completed after two years. There's nothing left to teach him and for him to learn. Certainly, he can leave the forest and venture out, but he decided to strengthen the elves.
Numerous forest and elven villages were burnt down by dragons escaping from the Valley of Dragons. Of course, other settlements were also plagued by them.
So the most effective and efficient method available for him right now is to improve the current magic system and develop new and more powerful magics based on ninjutsu.
That's why he is currently conducting various research with scholars and court magicians.
Currently, he is trying to develop a magic system similar to Fuinjutsu using hieroglyphs as a reference to develop new magic symbols.
The results had Naruto in mixed feelings. It shows satisfying results, but at the same time, it doesn't meet Naruto's expectations.
The same is true for the new magic spells. Although it is far superior to the traditional spells with shorter verses and better efficiency, it still falls short of the ones manifested by Falna. It felt like something was missing in both systems, but it was just on the tip of his tongue.
Just like that, two years passed in the blink of an eye. Naruto and his team made various advancements in both magic systems but no breakthrough that Naruto was expecting.
"Thank you for your hard work, your highness. Please rest well." One of his subordinates said.
He was doing research non-stop, hoping to achieve enlightenment, but in the end, it didn't show up. However, he managed to create a new formula to reduce the verse and increase the strength. The Rune Magic is still stuck.
Before he could spiral down further, he was lifted by someone. Naruto could tell who it is right away. After all, there are only two people who dare to do this in the entire world.
"Come on, accompany me for tea time, Naruto. You shouldn't think about work when you are resting!"
Yes, the one who is lifting him like a kitten is Queen Cecilia. You might think she is too strict with the rules and morals at first impression but it is still true.
But she can be childish and mischievous if she wants to be. After all, she is his partner in crime whenever he is feeling in the mood for some pranks. Some harmless pranks though. Otherwise, he would feel bad for the maids.
"Of course, Cecilia. Let's go to the northern part. It's been a while since I played with the spirits and the unicorns. And the scenery is pleasant at this time of the day."
"Yes. Let's go." With those words, they changed their directions from the garden to the north of the palace. Their attendants looked at the two with smiles on their faces.
As soon as the group arrived at the destination, Naruto was surrounded by the unicorns and the spirits.
"I'm sorry guys! I will come frequently to play with you guys! I promise!"
As expected of their lineage and species, they understand Naruto's words or it might simply be due to their bonds. No one can say for sure though.
The leader of the unicorn herds came through and tugged at Naruto, signaling Naruto to follow him.
"Hey, what do you want to show me?" As if to say, 'Shut up and just follow my lead,' the leader lifts Naruto and carries him on his back.
"Naruto, do you know why he is doing this?" The queen asked him but he is also in the dark about this.
"I am on the same page as you. He is excited but also scared about whatever this is. The spirits are also in the same state as them."
So they just follow their leads and soon their questions are answered. A young albino yearling with scales and two horns is sleeping peacefully at the foot of the giant tree.
The name of a creature appears in the minds of those present. A Qilin. A mystical holy beast of draconian origin. A beloved beast of the spirits and gods.
"Oh my gosh!! It is so cute! I want to pet it" the queen uncharacteristically squeals out. The rest were broken out of their shock but still maintained their wits.
"So this is what you want to show me, big guy. It is a good surprise too! Thanks, everyone!" Perhaps, due to the noise, the little qilin wakes up. It is startled first by the group but Naruto catches its interest. It slowly walks towards Naruto and Naruto comes down from the unicorn leader.
The Qilin walks around Naruto and soon bows before him. This left everyone amazed. This is a once-in-a-lifetime occurrence! A Qilin selecting his master.
"Are you sure about this little one?" The little Qilin just further confirms it.
"If you are sure about it, then it's nice to have you, Ryuji." Then Naruto starts the contracting process.
It is nothing complicated. He just makes a small cut on his palm. A few droplets falls on the qilin's horn, lightening it up with blue and gold shine.
As soon as the process is over, Ryuji jumps on him, making him fall down to the ground. Like a small puppy, it just kept licking his face, showing his affection.
Cecilia and her royal attendants just look at them with a thin smile on their face. Their tea party has one more member from then on.
A month after contracting Ryuji, Naruto notices a change in the atmosphere of the palace. The rulers of elves are kinda jumpy, especially Larfal. Everyone in the palace is busy with something or the other.