Recaps

Haruto went to meet Naa Ichihara, the influential owner of Yoshiwara, while keeping Zanka no Tachi ready in case she threatened him. After they exchanged names and discussed his ambitions at Shin'ō Academy, Haruto guessed that a member of the Four Great Noble Clans had driven her family out of Seireitei, and her silence confirmed it.

• Haruto prepared to hold Zanka no Tachi and planned to seek help from the Gotei 13 if his meeting turned dangerous.
• Haruto climbed to the fifth floor and found Naa Ichihara waiting among liquor bottles and a pipe.
• Naa introduced herself as Yoshiwara's owner, known as the Great Magistrate, and asked Haruto for his name.
• Haruto said he came from East 66th District and dismissed the idea of joining a minor noble family.
• Naa asked if Haruto wanted to join one of the Four Great Noble Clans, and Haruto asked which clan had driven her family from Seireitei.
• Naa remained silent, confirming Haruto's guess.

Haruto met Naa Ichihara, learned that the Tsunayashiro Clan had supported her people, and received a Kidō Orb containing Dankū. After assessing its limits and suspecting Naa had already mastered Dankū, Haruto challenged her to make a larger investment in exchange for protecting Yoshiwara District’s reputation.

• Naa Ichihara revealed that the Tsunayashiro Clan had helped her people, and Haruto claimed he had never heard of the clan while mentioning his close friend in the Kuchiki Clan.
• Naa Ichihara gave Haruto a Kidō Orb containing the secret teachings of Dankū and explained its six-month recharge and demanding requirements.
• Haruto realized Naa Ichihara might already know Dankū and concluded that the orb could still be valuable even if he could not use it himself.
• Haruto argued that the orb was not enough to protect the reputation of the pleasure quarter and Yoshiwara District, then challenged Naa Ichihara to test his demand.

Haruto provoked Naa Ichihara into attacking, then used Zanka no Tachi to withstand her Shikai and earned a second Kidō Orb. Afterward, he questioned whether the Heavenly Bedding Pill had affected his judgment and examined the difficult, powerful Kyōmon technique he had obtained.

• Haruto decided to let Naa Ichihara make the first move, believing she wanted something from him and that he could exploit her lower Spiritual Pressure.
• Naa Ichihara revealed her already-released Zanpakuto, Black Swallowtail, and sent a swarm of black butterflies at Haruto.
• Haruto cast Hadō number seventy-eight, Zanka no Tachi, and the butterflies that struck him left him briefly paralyzed but otherwise unharmed.
• Naa Ichihara gave Haruto a second Kidō Orb, apparently shocked that her Zanpakuto had not affected him as expected.
• Haruto wondered whether the Heavenly Bedding Pill had influenced his reckless behavior and resolved to be more cautious.
• Haruto studied Kyōmon's demanding requirements and limitations, then considered modifying the technique and learning it as his Kidō talent improved.

Haruto left Yoshiwara after spending the night safely in Manager Ichihara’s guest room, but a group of Soul Reapers and lower nobles followed him into a remote part of Rukongai. The nobles confronted him over his disrespect, setting up a likely fight.

• Haruto slept through the night in the fourth-floor guest room and woke to breakfast delivered by the girl who had turned into bugs.
• Haruto learned that Naa Ichihara had gone to District 41, declined her offer of hospitality, and left Yoshiwara.
• Haruto noticed an unfamiliar Soul Reaper Reiatsu following him and led the pursuers away from the busy streets.
• Haruto confronted two Soul Reapers and two civilians in a dead end, recognizing the civilians as lower nobles and the group as Shin'ō Academy seniors.
• A gloomy young nobleman accused Haruto of disrespecting his seniors and threatened to teach him a lesson.

Haruto confronted Rikujō Kyōya and his allies, who had lured him to a deserted street to kill him, and faced Onizuka, an 8th Seat of the 11th Division. The battle began when Haruto fired Byakurai at Onizuka’s raised Zanpakuto.

• Rikujō Kyōya introduced himself and explained that he wanted to avenge his younger brother, while threatening Haruto with a secluded burial.
• Kyōya called on Onizuka, the 8th Seat of the 11th Division, who emerged to block Haruto’s escape.
• Onizuka rejected Haruto’s warning about the consequences of attacking a Shin'ō Academy student and declared that he would kill him.
• Haruto realized his attackers were serious and tried to deter them by claiming his future ties to the Fifth Division would invite an investigation.
• Onizuka drew his Zanpakuto, and Haruto cast Hadō #4: Byakurai, striking the blade he held in front of himself.

Haruto fought Onizuka, whose Zanpakuto absorbed and drew in Kidō, and used illusions and misdirection to exploit its limits. He killed Onizuka and burned away the bodies, then revealed how he had prepared the deception.

• Onizuka released his Zanpakuto, which absorbed Haruto’s Kongōbaku and Shōtenkyū and transformed into a shield.
• Haruto used Kyokkō and Sekienton to create a Kidō-based illusion, while Onizuka charged and struck the decoy.
• Haruto’s Haien burned Onizuka’s four companions, distracting Onizuka and drawing his attention away from Haruto.
• Haruto appeared behind Onizuka and killed him with Byakurai before his shield could defend him.
• Haruto burned Onizuka’s corpse with Haien and explained that he had concealed his tactics behind the illusion and fire.

After killing Onizuka, Haruto found a gold koban and a pill apparently meant to attract Hollows, then confronted Rikujō Kyōya, who had been hiding nearby. Haruto forced Rikujō to trade his wealth and information for his life, and Rikujō revealed that his duplicate had been made by placing a Modified Soul inside a Reigai.

• Haruto examined Onizuka's ashes and took the gold koban and a fragile white pill that seemed capable of attracting Hollows.
• Haruto spotted Rikujō Kyōya hiding nearby and demanded wealth or information in exchange for sparing him.
• Rikujō offered five gold koban, but Haruto demanded valuable information about middle-ranking nobles as well.
• Under Haruto's pressure, Rikujō revealed that the puppet he had used was a copy made by placing a Modified Soul inside a Reigai.
• Haruto identified a Reigai as a Gigai made using spiritual power, and Rikujō confirmed it.

Haruto killed Rikujō Kyōya after learning he had only obtained a blank Reigai body, then continued his journey to District 66. He found the village where he had once lived largely deserted and in disrepair.

• Haruto questioned Rikujō Kyōya about Reigai technology and learned he had only a blank body and a Gikongan.
• Haruto killed Rikujō Kyōya, burned his remains, and took the blank Reigai body.
• Haruto cleaned up, left the battlefield, and resumed his journey toward home after assessing his combat strength.
• After six days, Haruto arrived at District 66 and recalled his past there.
• Haruto walked through the neglected village and found few signs of life, concluding its people had suffered since he left.

Haruto returned to District 66 after five years and found his old home neglected and the gang he had left behind absorbed into a larger one. After restoring the house and honoring his grandmother at the Buddhist altar, he met Inukai and began asking what had become of their people.

• Haruto recognized Jōsuke, an old follower, and told him to have Inukai wait at their usual place.
• Haruto reached his former home, cleared out the cobwebs and pests with Kidō, and solemnly declared that he was home.
• Haruto lit incense at the Buddhist altar he had made to honor the grandmother who raised him.
• Inukai arrived and told Haruto that the gang had been absorbed, District 66 was controlled by one gang, and nine familiar members remained.
• Haruto asked Inukai whether the others had died or surrendered, then turned to examine how Inukai had changed.

Haruto learned that a Hollow had driven the village’s residents from their well and that a Soul Reaper had joined the rival gang instead of resolving the threat. He planned to inspect the well that night, then finished his Zanpakuto training and noticed his Reiatsu was growing faster despite the Heavenly Bedding Pill.

• Haruto asked Inukai why the gang and his old home had fallen into ruin, and Inukai explained that he had surrendered to protect a treasure from people seeking it.
• Haruto learned that a Hollow still lurked by the village well at night and that a Soul Reaper who had come to deal with it later became the rival gang’s commander-in-chief.
• Haruto told Inukai to take him to the well that night so they could confirm whether the Hollow was still there, and Inukai agreed to follow him.
• At night, Haruto completed his Jinzen with the Asauchi and reflected that Zanka no Tachi strengthened his communication with his soul and Zanpakuto.
• Haruto noticed that his Reiatsu was growing about thirty percent faster despite the Heavenly Bedding Pill’s ongoing effects.

Haruto went with Inukai to the well, where a gang ambushed him with the help of a fugitive Soul Reaper. Bound by Hōrin, Haruto learned the attacker was the Seventh Division’s twelfth seat, and the Soul Reaper began charging a powerful Hadō.

• Haruto and Inukai set out through the dark forest toward the well, but Inukai explained that the gang had blocked the original route.
• Haruto sensed people nearby, and Inukai dropped his torch and fled as a crimson Hōrin rope bound Haruto.
• A group of gang members surrounded Haruto with torches, while a male Soul Reaper mocked him and identified himself as the Seventh Division’s twelfth seat.
• Haruto called the Soul Reaper a fugitive, and the man threatened him while claiming he was only punishing a student who interfered in Hollow matters.
• The Soul Reaper drew his Zanpakuto and began chanting Hadō #65 as Nagumo watched nearby.

Haruto defeated a Seventh Division Soul Reaper who had used a Kidō Orb to cast Gaki Rekko, then killed him and Nagumo with Raikōhō. He recovered the orb from the crater and decided to sell it.

• Haruto broke free of the Soul Reaper’s Hōrin and overwhelmed his Gaki Rekko with a controlled release of Zanka no Tachi.
• Haruto explained that the Soul Reaper’s Kidō was crude and that the gap between their Reiatsu made his binding technique ineffective.
• Nagumo accepted that Haruto had won their contest, but the Soul Reaper threw him to the ground and angrily challenged Haruto again.
• Haruto interrupted the Soul Reaper’s chant and struck him, Nagumo, and their guards with Raikōhō, leaving a crater.
• Haruto found a Kidō Orb among the ashes, inferred that it had helped the Soul Reaper learn Gaki Rekko, and decided to sell it.

Haruto learned that Inukai had betrayed him to gain Kidō lessons, then killed him after testing his Shō. He resumed his search for the Hollow near the well, lured it out with Hollow Bait, and prepared to fight an opponent whose strength nearly matched his own.

• Inukai admitted that a Soul Reaper had offered to teach him Kidō, and he demonstrated his Shō for Haruto.
• Haruto praised Inukai's Kidō, then struck him with Hadō #1: Shō and killed him.
• Haruto left the battlefield without recovering the dead Soul Reaper's Zanpakuto and headed to the village well to find the Hollow.
• Haruto searched the clearing using Bakudō #58: Kakushitsuijaku, but could not locate the Hollow's Reiatsu.
• Haruto crushed Hollow Bait, and a powerful Hollow appeared less than twenty meters away.
• Haruto judged the Hollow to be a suitable opponent and readied himself to fight.

Haruto fought a Giant Hollow, using Kidō to expose its weaknesses and discover that its Reiatsu-powered leaps could be disrupted. He baited the Hollow into cutting through Hōrin and began binding it with Sajō Sabaku.

• Haruto illuminated the clearing and revealed a nearly five-meter-tall Giant Hollow concealed beneath a black curtain.
• The Giant Hollow struck from behind and cut Haruto's arm, but Haruto used Tsuzuri Raiden and hidden Hainawa to bind it before blasting its chest with Byakurai.
• Haruto learned that Hainawa could not seal the Hollow's Reiatsu and that the Hollow's mask remained its weak point.
• Haruto used Daichi Ten'yō to tilt the ground beneath the Hollow as it leapt, then sent Hōrin ropes toward it as bait.
• The Giant Hollow cut through Hōrin, and Haruto released Sajō Sabaku from behind it.

Haruto fought a giant Hollow whose speed, armor, and red energy attacks resembled Arrancar abilities, and he struggled to break through its defenses. He ended the chapter by using Tsuriboshi to trap the Hollow in Sajō Sabaku.

• Haruto restrained the giant Hollow with Sajō Sabaku and repeatedly struck its mask with enhanced Byakurai, but the attacks stopped penetrating it.
• The giant Hollow fired a Cero-like beam, which Haruto split with a Zanka no Tachi-enhanced slash.
• The Hollow attacked again with Bala, blasting Haruto and breaking free from the chains as he defended with Enkōsen.
• Haruto baited the Hollow into missing an attack, then tried to catch it with Shitotsu Sansen, but it evaded the Kidō.
• Haruto combined Tsuriboshi with Sajō Sabaku, binding the giant Hollow from every direction and trapping it head to toe.

Haruto defeated the giant Hollow with Raikōhō, but its High-Speed Regeneration let it ambush him as he tried to escape. Gravely wounded and unable to fight back, Haruto watched the Hollow approach.

• Haruto restrained the giant Hollow with Sajō Sabaku and struck it down with a fully chanted Raikōhō.
• Haruto realized the Hollow’s mask was reforming and that its cloak had survived the blast to trap him.
• Haruto used a sudden Shunpo breakthrough to leap toward the gap in the encircling darkness, but the Hollow blocked his escape and bit him.
• Haruto landed with a severe chest wound, damaged Hakusui, and too little strength to use his Zanpakuto or cast Kidō.
• The giant Hollow approached Haruto as he lay helpless, and a strange buzz sounded.

Haruto woke after Captain Seigen Kyōshiba and Lieutenant Ika Kyōshiba saved him from a Menos in District 66, then explained that he was a Shin'ō Academy student. The siblings shared their connection to the district and urged Haruto to rest, while Seigen began considering bringing the promising student into the Fifth Division.

• Haruto awoke beside a campfire after Ika healed him, and thanked her and Seigen for saving his life.
• Haruto told Seigen and Ika that he was a sixth-year Shin'ō Academy student rather than a member of the Gotei 13 or Kidō Corps.
• Ika recognized Haruto as Komatsuzuru's student, and Haruto identified the siblings as Captain Seigen Kyōshiba and Lieutenant Ika Kyōshiba.
• Haruto recounted his origins in District 66 and his battle with the Hollow, while Ika explained that she and Seigen were visiting their old home in District 74.
• Seigen made Haruto lie down and rest, warning him that healing with Kaidō had not fully restored his physical strength.

Sōsuke Aizen learned that his modified Hollow had died at Seigen Kyōshiba’s hands, then was appointed acting lieutenant of the Fifth Division while Kyōshiba and his lieutenant were away for two months. He abandoned his application to become headmaster of Shin'ō Academy and took on the division’s duties.

• Aizen finished applying to become headmaster of Shin'ō Academy and discovered that his modified Hollow had died, apparently killed by Seigen Kyōshiba.
• Shinji Hirako told Aizen that Kyōshiba and the lieutenant had taken leave to visit their families in Rukongai and that Hirako had been ordered to handle the captain’s duties for two months.
• Aizen told Hirako that Yamamoto’s approval showed he had the talent to become captain, prompting Hirako to appoint Aizen acting lieutenant of the Fifth Division.
• Hirako left the division’s responsibilities to Aizen and fled using Shunpo.
• Aizen burned his approved headmaster application, deciding to postpone the role.

Jōsuke found the wreckage of Haruto and Inukai’s battle and considered taking over their place, while Haruto recovered with the Kyōshiba siblings, grew stronger, and returned to Seireitei. He was stopped at the gate for lacking identification until Mitarai recognized him.

• Jōsuke found Nagumo’s broken cane, a burned Zanpakuto, and Inukai’s headless body, then wondered if he could take their place.
• Ika Kyōshiba treated Haruto with Tsubakibana, restoring his Reiatsu and healing most of his injuries, while Seigen Kyōshiba shared his lightning techniques.
• Haruto parted with the Kyōshiba siblings and traveled back to Seireitei, reaching Sixth-Class Spiritual Pressure along the way.
• Haruto arrived at Seiryūmon in ragged clothes and told Kaiwan he was a Shin'ō Academy student who had lost his identification.
• Mitarai recognized Haruto and approached him, easing the standoff at the gate.

Haruto used a Kidō Orb to study Dankū and then successfully cast the powerful Bakudō in the underground training ground. Byakuya witnessed the feat and reacted in astonishment.

• Mitarai persuaded Kaiwan to let Haruto pass through the gate, and Kaiwan apologized to Haruto and welcomed him.
• Haruto entered Shin'ō Academy's underground training ground with the Kidō Orbs for Dankū and Kyōmon.
• Haruto used the Dankū orb to observe its casting in a slowed, heightened state of awareness, then returned to the real world after ten minutes.
• Haruto chanted the incantation and formed a massive Dankū barrier that split the training ground in two.
• Byakuya arrived and exclaimed in surprise when he saw Haruto cast Dankū.

Haruto told Byakuya how he had mastered Dankū and reached Sixth-Class Spiritual Pressure, then explained his plans to keep training before pursuing Shikai. He recounted his encounter with Seigen Kyōshiba and the Kyōshiba family, and Byakuya offered to investigate the Ichihara Clan in his family’s records.

• Byakuya examined Haruto’s Kidō Orb and warned that its teachings carried the creator’s imprint, but Haruto said he could overcome that influence with greater skill.
• Haruto revealed he had reached Sixth-Class Spiritual Pressure three days earlier and said he intended to hone himself further before advancing.
• Haruto and Byakuya bickered about their progress and whether Haruto might one day fight someone of higher spiritual pressure after achieving Shikai.
• Haruto explained that a Hollow had left his chest scar and described his encounter with Seigen Kyōshiba and his sister.
• Byakuya recalled the Kyōshiba family’s noble history and offered to search his family’s books for records of the Ichihara Clan.
• Byakuya told Haruto that the Dankū Kidō Orb was valuable enough to be passed down as a noble family heirloom.

Haruto agreed to let Byakuya sell the Kidō Orb at a noble auction and began learning Kyōmon from another orb. Two days later, he attended Shin'ō Academy's opening ceremony, where he was due to speak amid a teacher shortage caused by mobilization for the Hueco Mundo Expeditionary Force.

• Haruto agreed to Byakuya's plan to obtain invitations and sell the Kidō Orb, after questioning Byakuya about the auction's details and the risk of Ginrei finding out.
• After Byakuya left, Haruto used the second Kidō Orb to begin learning the self-created Kidō Kyōmon.
• Two days later, Haruto walked to Shin'ō Academy's opening ceremony with Isane Kotetsu, who said the start of term made her feel more at ease.
• Haruto told Isane he was nervous about giving a speech because he did not know what to say, and she gave him a revised speech prepared from her mother's address.
• Haruto thanked Isane for the clothes she had altered for him and apologized for not bringing back suitable souvenirs.

Isane made Haruto clothes, and his compliment about her being a good wife and mother embarrassed her so badly that she passed out. At the academy assembly, Haruto was called up to speak to the younger students, leaving him to consider how the public attention might affect his reputation.

• Isane refused Haruto's offer of a gift for tailoring his clothes, but he told her she would make a good wife and mother.
• Kiyone teased Haruto about hinting at a confession, and Isane fainted from embarrassment.
• At the Shin'ō Grand Auditorium assembly, Kiyone and Ayaka whispered about Academy Head Mitarai's long speech and Ayaka's visit to the World of the Living.
• Haruto explained that Nanao had likely missed the assembly notice and was still studying in the library.
• After a two-hour speech, Mitarai introduced Haruto as the student representative and invited him to share his experiences with the younger students.

Haruto cut his academy welcome speech short, then gathered his classmates at the dorm for sweets and a meal. As the group relaxed afterward, Byakuya asked why Haruto was close to so many girls, and Haruto teased him about looking like one.

• Haruto ended his welcome speech after one sentence and invited Isane to have sweets as an apology.
• Haruto and his classmates searched the shops near Shin'ō Academy, but the shop that made Isane's favorite desserts had closed because its staff had been conscripted into the Hueco Mundo Expeditionary Force.
• Haruto brought the group to the dorm and cooked osmanthus, lotus seed, and fruit porridge for Isane while they shared Byakuya's bento and snacks.
• Haruto served Byakuya twice-cooked pork with mixed vegetables, and the classmates ate together before afternoon classes.
• Byakuya asked Haruto why most of his close friends were girls, and Haruto joked that Byakuya might be a girl too.

Haruto discussed the limits facing Soul Reapers with Byakuya before Kiyone revealed that Isane had mastered Shikai. The group compared their spiritual pressure, and Haruto realized Isane and Nanao had advanced more quickly than he expected.

• Haruto told Byakuya that many of their classmates lacked the talent to rise beyond low-ranking Seated Officer and that becoming Soul Reapers could condemn them to slow deaths.
• Kiyone redirected the conversation by announcing that Isane had mastered Shikai, surprising Haruto and Byakuya.
• Isane revealed that her Rei'i Grade was Sixth Class, while Kiyone said she was Seventh Class, Ayaka Ninth Class, and Nanao had recently reached Sixth Class.
• Haruto noted that Rei'i Grade did not reliably measure combat strength and that his own Sixth-Class reading reflected only half his true Reiatsu.
• Haruto identified Isane's Zanpakuto as Itegumo, prompting Kiyone to ask whether Isane had secretly told him, which Isane denied.