The village hidden in the leaves, the de facto superpower of the elemental nations; it is said that the walls of Konoha have never been breached. But there is a first for everything, and Konoha was never prepared for it.
Soseki had always thought that wars were fought outside. He had survived the last war as Genin, not due to his strength but for the lack of it. He had survived, as he was too weak to serve on the frontlines. His exemplary work in logistics landed him a promotion to chunin in the office. He was happy with it as that meant he was not strong enough to be sent to dangerous missions and could retire early as he wouldn't be missed. But he is currently doubting his life choices.
He never thought he would face this, even in his wildest dreams. The nine-tailed demon fox, a beast so powerful that just a glare rooted him to the spot. Disregarding the ninja around it, the beast is in the process of utterly decimating the Konoha. Its mere movement sent a couple of buildings falling.

"Oi Soseki, Don't snap out of it. Go and check for survivors; Jonin will take care of that." He followed his team leader's gaze to see a squad of elite ninja under the Third Hokage rushing to face the fox. Soseki then collected his cool and led the genin to ground zero. His team is one of the four whose primary objective is to help survivors, and a secondary aim is to check for clues for its emergence.

It first appeared in the civilian area as if it knew that the ninja concentration was low there. It demolished the buildings by swishing its tails and went on a path of destruction leading to the centre of the village.
He reached the position and checked the surroundings. He noted the buildings are small and made of bamboo, with bamboo being a cheaper alternative for people living in these slums than wood. He ordered the genins to clear the ruins and help the survivors, whose count was higher than expected. In situations like this, the leading cause of death is getting crushed by debris. Since the houses were made of bamboo, that factor is significantly reduced.
He called out to all survivors that gathered around, "Listen, everybody. Please stay calm and follow the ninja. They will escort you all to the shelter. Call out if you have any injuries. Prioritize children and elderly" He gave them the instructions he learned in drill class.

"Taichou, this lady here is in a critical condition." he heard a call from one of the genin. He rushed to assess the situation. He saw a lady weakly cradling a baby amidst the ruins of a relatively better-looking building. He followed the genin signal to see a sharp bamboo impaled in her solar plexus. From his experience on the field, he immediately understood that he could not remove the splinter without her bleeding to death. The bamboo is attached to a large frame, making it difficult to carry it with her to the medical camp. Soseki understood that the woman did not have long to live.
He kneeled beside her and gently laid an arm on her shoulders. His actions caused the woman to look at him through her unfocused eyes. The woman has high cheekbones, brown hair, and smooth skin that has lost its colour. Her dark eyes struggled to gain clarity from the blood loss. "Please... take him to safety," she said between laboured breaths. He slowly nodded and reached out to the baby. She looked on while the baby was taken into his hands and gave me a small smile when I promised the baby would be safe.
He looked at the baby and noticed that the baby started to wake up. It opened its pale blue eyes to look at him and squirmed around. The woman gathered her energy once more to say, "Akira, his name is Akira Ma…". The woman didn't finish her sentence, her breath hitched for one last time. The baby slowly started to cry. He did not know if it was out of hunger or the death of his mother.
Soseki sighed and closed his eyes while a few memories of his comrades swirled in his head.
He gently closed her lifeless eyes and motioned for a genin. He handed the baby, now named Akira, of an unknown surname to a genin. "Take him with you to the shelter and look for women to feed him. Hand him over to nurses after you reach the shelter." The genin bowed in affirmation and ran to join the group of survivors. The clean-up squad will take care of her body and investigate her details. Hopefully, some survivors would adopt the boy, as orphanages would be stretched to the limit after this.

This reminded him of his family, who are safe in the clan shelter. He decided to retire after this. He shook himself from the gloom to concentrate on the surroundings. His side mission is to check for clues about Kyubi's appearance. He used his shadow Jutsu to clear out a few pieces of debris surrounding the woman. His eyes quickly noticed an intricate fan with a Red burning leaf in the middle surrounded by two flame symbols. He felt like he has his this symbol somewhere and decided to add this to the evidence. He checked around for a while and finally left the place after covering the body with a cloth that he found nearby.

Just as he turned to head back he noticed an ominous purple ball aimed at the Hokage monument. That is where all the shelters are located. He fell to his knees in hopelessness and prayed that the ball would not reach his family. A miracle did happen. The ball stopped. Mark appeared in thin air, and the ball of doom got sucked into it. Tears started to gather around his eyes. He looked up to see the Fourth Hokage clad in his signature cloak. He represented hope to Soseki: Hope that he will turn this around, and hope that his family and the kid he saved will continue to see tomorrow. He got up, unfazed by the aftershocks of an explosion, and steadied his shaking feet. He could not stand down while the Hokage himself was risking his life.