Naruto meets Minato Namikaze, the Fourth Hokage, inside his inner world. Before his death, Minato planted a fail-safe where he would appear within Naruto's psyche should his son sprout eight tails.

The story goes back to right before the start of the final rounds of the Chunin Exam. As Naruto trains in preparation for his upcoming match, he hears Jiraiya speak of "the Fourth Hokage's legacy."