Chapter Summaries

Jun returned to the Tenth Division as its captain and found Tōshirō Hitsugaya capably handling the paperwork, though Jun planned to leave the division’s work to him. As Jun settled into his new office, he reflected on the Soul Reapers and Arrancar living in Hueco Mundo and decided to train Tōshirō while Sōjirō Kusaka was being trained there.

• Jun entered the Tenth Division, greeted former squad members, and silenced the hallway with a gesture when Tōshirō Hitsugaya called for order.
• Jun visited Tōshirō’s office, praised his orderly handling of division paperwork, and told him to report to Jun’s office when he finished.
• Jun moved into Isshin’s former office and reflected on Tōshirō’s rapid Academy graduation, rise through the Seventh Division, and appointment as lieutenant.
• Jun recalled how Central 46 forced Tōshirō and Sōjirō Kusaka to duel over Hyōrinmaru, after which Kusaka escaped execution and ended up in Hueco Mundo.
• Jun reviewed the Soul Reapers and Arrancar gathered in the Endless Sea, including Ashido Kanō and Kariya Jin’s Hollowfication, and Aijima’s ongoing treatment.
• After hearing a knock, Jun decided he would train Tōshirō while Kusaka was being trained in Hueco Mundo.

Jun visited Tōshirō Hitsugaya to learn about the Tenth Division and promised to find him an adjutant. He then asked Gin Ichimaru to transfer Rangiku Matsumoto to the Tenth Division, leaving Gin furious as Jun departed with his permission to take her.

• Jun questioned Tōshirō about the Tenth Division’s culture and asked what kinds of members deserved to be considered scum.
• Jun asked Tōshirō whether he had an adjutant and promised to find him someone suitable.
• Jun visited Gin Ichimaru in the Third Division and teased him about Rangiku before announcing that he wanted her transferred.
• Jun explained that he wanted Rangiku to become Tōshirō’s adjutant, and Gin angrily shoved him out of the office while telling him to take her.

Jun appointed Rangiku as Tōshirō’s aide, then discussed the Tenth Division’s disorder with her while reflecting on how his changes had altered Soul Society’s strength and key events. Byakuya prepared to challenge his father for leadership of the Kuchiki Clan so he could make Rukia a Kuchiki.

• Jun appointed Rangiku as Tōshirō’s aide, and she enthusiastically fussed over him while he protested.
• Jun warned Rangiku that her roughhousing with Tōshirō was disrupting the Tenth Division’s work, but she resumed chasing him after their talk.
• Jun reflected that he had taught Soul Reapers how to communicate with their Zanpakuto, helping many gain Bankai despite the dangers of the training.
• Metastacia escaped after Sajin Komamura appeared to kill it, while Kaien Shiba and his wife remained safe in this timeline.
• Byakuya decided to challenge his father for the Kuchiki Clan leadership so he could give Rukia the Kuchiki name.

Jun visited Kūkaku Shiba in Rukongai District 27 and offered to teach her Kidō as compensation for the Shiba Clan’s past losses. He also told Kūkaku that Isshin had married in the World of the Living, leaving her thrilled by the news of her uncle’s young wife.

• Jun went to the Shiba home in District 27 and met Kūkaku, who brought him to her fireworks storeroom to discuss private matters.
• Jun identified himself as Jun Shimizu, and Kūkaku recognized him as the Soul Society hero associated with the Shiba Clan’s downfall.
• Jun offered to teach Kūkaku Kidō, and she accepted gratefully before he gave her a booklet.
• Jun asked Kūkaku about Isshin, then told her that Isshin had married in the World of the Living and would soon have a child.
• Kūkaku learned that Isshin was nearly seventy and his wife was eighteen, and she excitedly praised her uncle.

Jun gave Kūkaku Shiba a Shikai, Dairan, shaped like the firework launcher she had imagined, and she celebrated its beautiful display. Meanwhile, Byakuya Kuchiki challenged his father to prove his strength and claim leadership of the Kuchiki Clan.

• Jun asked Kūkaku what Shikai she would want, then imbued her blade with a soul and awakened Dairan, a huge firework launcher.
• Kūkaku fired Dairan into the sky, admired its colorful display, and tearfully thanked Jun for giving her a Shikai.
• Kūkaku promised to keep Dairan secret and threatened to punish Ganju if he revealed it; Jun offered to make him a Shikai too.
• Byakuya confronted Sōjun Kuchiki, declaring that strength would let him change the Kuchiki Clan and protect its honor.
• Byakuya and Sōjun drew their Zanpakuto and released Senbonzakura as they began their duel.

Byakuya and Sōjun fought over the Kuchiki Clan’s future, escalating from a Senbonzakura duel to their Bankai and ultimate techniques. They ended with blades poised to kill, but Byakuya could not strike his father and left, promising to return.

• Sōjun outmaneuvered Byakuya in their Senbonzakura Shikai duel, forcing Byakuya onto the defensive.
• Byakuya released Senbonzakura Kageyoshi, and Sōjun answered with Senbonzakura: Cherry Blossom Path, whose power grew as it produced more petals.
• The two fought with Senkei blades, with Byakuya relying on superior Shunpo while Sōjun’s precise control and growing supply of blades kept him under pressure.
• Byakuya unleashed Final Scene: White Emperor Sword, and Sōjun countered with Modified Final Scene: White Emperor Sword.
• Byakuya placed his blade at Sōjun’s neck while Sōjun aimed his blade at Byakuya’s forehead, but Byakuya canceled his technique and left, saying he would return.

Jun explained how souls aged and how Hollowfication could extend Soul Reapers’ lives, then prepared to train Ichinose Maki and Tachikawa Shiu. He challenged the two youngsters to defeat him and promised to point out their mistakes.

• Jun concluded that Soul Reapers died when their Soul Return could no longer keep pace with their Spiritual Power depletion, and found that completing Hollowfication increased Soul Return.
• Jun had created State of Mind to help souls resist their inner demons during Hollowfication, while Hisana underwent the trial in suspended animation without Byakuya’s knowledge.
• At Nana’s grave, Jun promised to care for her son, Ichinose Maki, and reflected that Maki would not follow the same path as his counterpart in the original story.
• Jun discussed Byakuya, nobility, and changing times with Sōjun, then asked to take Ichinose Maki and Tachikawa Shiu from the Sixth Division.
• Jun watched Ichinose Maki release his Shikai, Rainbow Mist, then challenged both youngsters to try to defeat him during their training.

Two years after returning to Soul Society, Jun investigated Kūgo Ginjō’s awakening as a Substitute Soul Reaper and learned how he first acquired Soul Reaper powers. Ginjō awakened after a stationed Soul Reaper’s Zanpakuto transferred active Spiritual Power into him.

• Jun spent two years neglecting Tenth Division paperwork, while Byakuya became head of the Kuchiki Clan and Kenpachi Zaraki became Jun’s disciple.
• Rangiku summoned Jun to a captains’ meeting about Kūgo Ginjō, where Jūshirō Ukitake proposed making him a Substitute Soul Reaper.
• Jun learned from the Second Division that Ginjō could clearly perceive souls and Hollows, making him especially likely to awaken after contact with Spiritual Power.
• Ginjō attacked an Evil Spirit Hollow, then rescued the stationed Soul Reaper who had intervened and defeated the Hollow with the Soul Reaper’s Zanpakuto.
• Ginjō stabbed himself with the Zanpakuto, and the stationed Soul Reaper’s Spiritual Power activated Ginjō’s own power and caused him to awaken.

Jun sent Endless, Spirit Breaker, Tianci, and the Key of Time to the World of the Living to find Kūgo Ginjō, with Kariya Jin and Yoshino Sōma assigned to restrain Endless. The group set out for Karakura Town, where Endless planned to investigate Ginjō and other Fullbringers.

• Jun ordered Endless to take Spirit Breaker, Tianci, and the Key of Time to find Kūgo Ginjō and recruit Kariya Jin and Yoshino Sōma to help.
• The four Zanpakuto entered Gigai, and Endless antagonized Kariya Jin and ignored Yoshino Sōma before leading the group onward.
• Endless told Kariya Jin that Jun had brought him along to restrain him, then complained that Jun should let him deal with the Fullbringers without interference.
• After asking where Karakura Town was, Endless accepted Yoshino Sōma's directions and ordered the group to travel there while the Key of Time kept watch.

Mujin berated Kariya Jin and Yoshino Sōma for the Undead’s ignorance of modern society, then led the group to the Kurosaki home to investigate Isshin’s lost Spiritual Power and seek information about the Quincy. He revealed that he knew the cause of Isshin’s condition but offered answers only in exchange for useful Quincy information, leaving Isshin and Masaki under pressure to investigate their own pasts.

• Mujin scolded Kariya Jin and Yoshino Sōma for the Undead’s failure to adapt to modern society, prompting Kariya to leave and organize them.
• Mujin and the others reached the Kurosaki home, broke through the locked door, and confronted Isshin and Masaki.
• Mujin gave Isshin an earring that restored his Spiritual Power, and its power flowed into Masaki instead.
• Mujin dismissed Kisuke Urahara’s explanation for Isshin’s condition and said he knew the real cause but wanted Quincy information in exchange for answers.
• Mujin demanded that Isshin and Masaki gather information about the Quincy, insisting they had not escaped their identities or the affairs of the spirit world.

Endless explained that Masaki’s Hollow power and Isshin’s Soul Reaper power were combining to form a child, draining Isshin’s Spiritual Power and keeping him unable to use his Soul Reaper abilities. After exchanging information with Ryūken, Endless and the others left the Kurosaki Clinic, while the couple faced the implications of their pregnancy and Isshin’s continuing loss of power.

• Masaki called Ryūken for help with Quincy techniques, and Ryūken came to the Kurosaki Clinic after Isshin accidentally ended their first call.
• Endless offered Ryūken information in exchange for demonstrating how Quincy power erased Reishi, and Ryūken erased blade energy and part of Tianci’s hand.
• Endless introduced himself as a materialized Bankai and identified his companions as materialized Shikai and an Undead.
• Endless told Masaki, Isshin, and Ryūken that Masaki was pregnant and that Soul Reaper and Hollow powers were merging to form a living human baby.
• Endless explained that the developing child drained Isshin’s Spiritual Power, preventing him from retaining his Soul Reaper powers while Masaki’s Hollow power remained, then departed with his group.

Jun received news that the Undead had begun searching for Fullbringers, while Endless’s group traveled to Nara City to find Substitute Soul Reaper Kūgo Ginjō. After tracking him down, Endless overpowered and mutilated Ginjo to teach him that he was not free to act without consequences, then ordered him to gather his severed pieces and come along.

• Jun was pleased that the Undead had started looking for Fullbringers and judged the Kurosaki couple’s test results, especially the Quincy findings, to be useful.
• Endless’s group met Kariya Jin and Tianci, traveled to Nara City, and arranged for the Undead operating in the World of the Living to obtain cell phones.
• At Kūgo Ginjō’s school, Tianci heard that Ginjo had been seen acting strangely in a park, and the group split up to search the nearby parks.
• Tianci found traces of a Hollow’s Spiritual Power, and her group located Ginjo before the others helped surround him.
• Endless took Ginjo to an abandoned residential lot and dismissed him as worthless, then slammed him down with captain-level Reiatsu when he cursed.
• Endless cut off and minced Ginjo’s left hand and arm, stopped when Ginjo apologized, and ordered him to collect the pieces and come with the group.

Endless captured Kūgo Ginjō and warned him that the Undead opposed Soul Society, while Soul Society’s search failed to find the faction. The Undead hunted Fullbringers, killing the depraved Tsukishima and rescuing Riruka and Jackie, and Jun claimed Tsukishima’s ability for a Zanpakuto.

• Endless brought the wounded Kūgo Ginjō to the Undead’s Nara liaison office, explained their conflict with Soul Society, and left him in custody.
• Kariya Jin reflected on his past, and the group discussed replacing the Nara office, pausing operations, and whether to create more Substitute Soul Reapers.
• Kūgo Ginjō reported the unknown faction to Soul Society, but the Soul Reapers’ search found no trace of the Undead and the investigation was dropped.
• The Undead found the Fullbringers from the original story and killed Tsukishima after learning he had used his wish-granting watch to harm and kill people.
• The Undead saved four-year-old Riruka and six-year-old Jackie Tristan, while Jun kept Tsukishima’s ability and awakened it in an unpowered Zanpakuto as Time Never Lies.

Kariya Jin and Silence Mingmo visited Kisuke Urahara’s shop to exchange contact information, technology, and intelligence, revealing details about Jun’s faction and its companions. After they left, Urahara suspected that Jun Shimizu was the faction’s mysterious leader.

• Kariya Jin and Mingmo found Urahara, Tessai Tsukabishi, and Yoruichi at the Urahara Shop, gave them communicators, and traded information about Soul Candy and Fullbringers.
• Mingmo explained that Jun’s faction had storage, absorption, and communication technologies, and Urahara exchanged his research records for their technology records.
• Mingmo identified Arrancar and Visored as two other kinds of companions, explained their origins, and warned Urahara that Aizen still targeted the Hōgyoku.
• After Kariya Jin and Mingmo left, Urahara and Yoruichi connected Kariya Jin to the old Seireitei Research Institute accident and discussed the faction’s hostility toward Soul Society.
• Urahara concluded that Jun Shimizu was the most likely and least likely candidate to lead the faction.

Urahara, Tessai, and Yoruichi concluded that Jun was strengthening Soul Society’s ordinary members to dismantle its class system and reshape it in the image of the World of the Living. Meanwhile, Jun’s Spiritual Power Radar system helped the Undead locate Fullbringers, and they discovered a hidden building whose occupants had concealed it with a Barrier.

• Urahara reasoned that Jun was behind the forces of Arrancar and Undead and had spent years improving Soul Society’s rank-and-file Soul Reapers.
• Urahara, Tessai, and Yoruichi concluded that Jun intended to break down the nobility, royal family, Central 46, and Gotei 13, possibly to make Soul Society resemble the World of the Living.
• Jun learned that his identity might be deduced and told his companions not to treat Urahara as an enemy if he found out.
• Jun developed Spiritual Power Radars and a recorder that mapped Reiatsu, making it easier for the Undead to find Fullbringers and monitor other spiritually powerful beings.
• The Undead detected an abandoned building in Setagaya, Tokyo, that released no Reiatsu, and Oka identified a Barrier that made people overlook it.
• Kariya Jin suggested breaking into the building, but Oka stopped him and proposed sending a note to its occupants first.

Shinji Hirako and the Visored encountered Zennosuke Kuruyashiki with a group working for Jun Shimizu, who confirmed they posed no threat to the World of the Living. Hirako learned how powerful and extensive Jun’s organization was and set out with five others to meet Kuruyashiki and demand answers.

• Zennosuke Kuruyashiki came out to meet the group, and Shinji Hirako recognized him as a supposedly dead Kenpachi.
• Mingmo explained that the group had come only to check for threats to the World of the Living, then left Hirako a phone and business card for Jun Shimizu’s company.
• Kuruyashiki told Hirako he no longer wanted to return to Soul Society, and Mingmo explained that the Visored had been forced out after Aizen’s actions a hundred years earlier.
• Hirako and the other Visored examined the company contacts and realized Jun had an organization with eighty-four listed members and at least seventeen Captain-level fighters.
• Hirako, Kensei Muguruma, Mashiro Kuna, Senrime Shintarō, and two other Visored drove to meet Kuruyashiki at a Shinjuku restaurant.

Shinji Hirako and the Visored learned about Jun Shimizu’s powerful organization and its plan to change Soul Society. Senrime Shintarō joined the group to carry on Kakyō Tachikawa’s ideals, leaving the Visored troubled by the possibility of losing more allies.

• At a meal with Oka and Kuruyashiki, Hirako learned Jun Shimizu led an organization of 483 people, and Mashiro traded information about her Bankai for details about its ranks.
• At Urahara’s shop, Urahara explained the organization’s five kinds of members and revealed that its Arrancar were evolved Vasto Lorde.
• Urahara said Jun intended to make Soul Society more equal and would kill the Soul Reapers if they opposed him, prompting Senrime Shintarō to declare that the organization’s ideals matched Kakyō Tachikawa’s.
• Mingmo told Senrime that Kakyō had been Jun’s disciple and had died for the cause, and Senrime formally joined the organization.
• Kuruyashiki discussed the power of conviction with Oka, while Mashiro admitted she was jealous of Senrime’s choice but said she would not join.

Jun visited Shinten’s grave, advised Tōsen to reconsider his path, and checked on Isuzu in Hueco Mundo, where she was nearing her limit. He then took Zaraki and Yachiru to train, beginning by explaining that a Zanpakuto’s Shikai could be changed.

• Jun visited Shinten’s grave, pieced together how she had been drawn into the forgery and killings, and said goodbye to his former lieutenant.
• Jun told Tōsen that Kakyō’s death had been part of a plan and urged him to stay alive and useful while considering his role as Kakyō’s inheritor.
• Jun visited Isuzu’s resting place in Hueco Mundo, discussed the coming child of destiny with Starrk and Direct Death, and learned that Isuzu was about to evolve into a Vasto Lorde.
• Jun returned to Soul Society and arranged with Sōya Azashiro to train Zaraki, with the aim of making him strong enough to defeat Azashiro.
• Jun brought Zaraki and Yachiru to a secluded spot, released a sword other than his own, and began teaching them that a Zanpakuto’s Shikai could be changed.

Jun explained that Zaraki’s inability to examine himself kept him from understanding his sword, then helped him recognize his bond with Yachiru and awaken his Shikai, Nozarashi. The chapter ended with Jun warning that Zaraki was not yet worthy of attempting Bankai, while Zaraki wondered how powerful his sword spirit was.

• Jun told Zaraki that his weak Spiritual Sensitivity kept him from recognizing his own problems and explained why he sought intense fights.
• Jun challenged Zaraki to make him stand, then used Bankai, Pure Heart Bodhi Light, to stop and repel Zaraki’s attack.
• Jun asked Zaraki why he had chosen Yachiru and taken up his sword, prompting Zaraki to confront his bond with both.
• Yachiru entered Zaraki’s sword and urged him to remember her real name as Jun described how the sword had waited for him.
• Zaraki released his Shikai, naming the enormous axe-like blade Nozarashi.
• Jun warned Zaraki not to attempt Bankai yet, and Zaraki asked how strong Nozarashi was.

Zaraki discovered that Nozarashi let him keep fighting through severe injuries, and Jun restored Yachiru as a Mod Soul before sending her to the World of the Living. Kōga’s suggestion that Hollows could become Arrancar gave Jun a plan to pursue Urahara’s Hōgyoku, so he ordered a commotion that would send a Captain-level fighter to the World of the Living.

• Zaraki tested Nozarashi against Ikkaku and the 11th Division, surviving their attacks until he was the last one standing and becoming Third Seat after Kijin Shizō relinquished the position.
• Jun explained that Zaraki’s Shikai had spared both Zaraki and Retsu Unohana from the fate of their original deadly battle.
• Jun used Formless and a Mod Soul to restore Yachiru Kusajishi’s humanity, then sent her to the World of the Living with Kōga and Aozumi.
• Kōga asked whether Vasto Lorde and adjuchas could evolve into Arrancar, prompting Jun to decide he needed to test Urahara’s Hōgyoku.
• Unable to go to the World of the Living as a captain without cause, Jun ordered a commotion that would send a Captain-level fighter there.