Naruto: Why a Illusion ninja in Sunagakure?

Reincarnated in Sunagakure, the Hidden Sand Village, with only a fragmented knowledge of Naruto gained from occasional late-night clips, how can our protagonist survive as a shinobi in this unforgiving environment?

I created this novel mainly because I dislike when protagonists gain powers through things like rinnegan, wood style, or Hashirama cells. There won't be any of that here. The protagonist has a fair bit of talent in chakra control. I'll focus on making intelligent battles, new jutsu/techniques, and proper development.

(Note: This is my first attempt at writing, and while I strive for consistency, give advice on things like too many details, too slow, more detailed action.)