Chapter Summaries

Unohana Retsu slaughtered the manifested Zanpakuto spirits as Kuchiki Kōga tried to escape. He reached Chiba Makoto and held a Zanpakuto to his neck, leaving Unohana stopped five steps away.

• Kuchiki Kōga imagined using Muramasa’s power to seize control of Seireitei.
• Unohana Retsu cut down the attacking manifested Zanpakuto spirits, leaving Muramasa, Senbonzakura, and Shinso alive.
• Kuchiki Kōga ordered Muramasa to stop Unohana while he fled toward Chiba Makoto.
• Muramasa was cut in half but used his remaining power to order Senbonzakura and Shinso to delay Unohana.
• Unohana severed Shinso and rushed after Kuchiki Kōga, but he reached Chiba Makoto first and pressed a Zanpakuto to his neck.

Unohana Retsu rescued Chiba Makoto from Kuchiki Kōga, who had taken him hostage, and cut Kōga into pieces after Aizen Sōsuke triggered his Hollowification. Aizen then asked Ichimaru Gin to gather up Kōga, while Unohana healed Makoto and reminded him of his promise to stay by her side.

• Kuchiki Kōga held Chiba Makoto at swordpoint while Unohana Retsu tried to make him surrender.
• Unohana Retsu began loosening her grip on her Zanpakuto when Kōga demanded she throw it down, but Chiba Makoto decided to resist rather than let her give up her sword.
• White matter erupted from Kōga's chest, causing him to howl in pain, and Unohana swiftly cut him into scattered pieces.
• Unohana kicked Kōga's remains away, then knelt beside Makoto and healed his bleeding neck with Kaido.
• Makoto apologized for causing trouble, and Unohana told him he still owed her a promise to remain by her side for more than a hundred years.
• Aizen Sōsuke put away the Hogyoku and asked Ichimaru Gin to gather up Kuchiki Kōga.

After Kuchiki Kōga’s defeat, Chiba Makoto learned how the Visored Army had been overwhelmed and suspected Aizen Sōsuke was concealing the truth and had a purpose for collecting Kōga’s remains. While Ichimaru Gin cleaned up the battlefield, Makoto discovered Kōga’s Hollowification was continuing and secretly planted a Seed of the Forest in one of his remains before handing it over.

• Unohana Retsu treated Chiba Makoto, and Ōmaeda Marenoshin told him the Visored Army had been rescued after Aizen Sōsuke’s Bankai and Muramasa’s ability left them defeated.
• Chiba Makoto suspected Kyōka Suigetsu had misled the Thirteen Divisions about the Visored Army’s alliance with Kuchiki Kōga and wondered why Aizen had revealed his Bankai.
• Chiba Makoto found Ichimaru Gin collecting Kōga’s remains and told him that Rangiku was living in South District One of Rukongai.
• Chiba Makoto examined one of Kōga’s remains and discovered its Hollowification was still progressing.
• Ichimaru Gin asked Chiba Makoto to hand over the remains for Aizen Sōsuke, and Makoto secretly merged a Seed of the Forest into it before giving it to him.

After the Zanpakuto Rebellion Incident, Chiba Makoto settled into a comfortable routine in Unohana Retsu’s courtyard while secretly expanding the Seed of the Forest’s reach through Seireitei. With Unohana away at a banquet, he slipped into her hot spring alone and began wondering what it would be like to share it with her, just as he heard a gentle voice beside him.

• After the incident ended, Sōsuke Aizen became Fifth Division captain, Ichimaru Gin became his vice-captain, and several other captains and officers took new positions.
• Chiba Makoto moved back into Unohana Retsu’s courtyard and began handling Fourth Division affairs from home, treating selected patients with high spiritual pressure.
• Chiba Makoto expanded the Seed of the Forest’s reach beyond the Thirteen Divisions, but its limit of one seed per day forced him to prioritize targets.
• With Unohana Retsu away at a banquet, Chiba Makoto prepared tea and snacks, changed into a bath towel, and entered the hot spring.
• As Chiba Makoto wondered whether Unohana Retsu would join him in the spring, he heard a gentle voice beside his ear.

Chiba Makoto relaxed in the hot spring and spoke with Kotetsu Isane, encouraging her to rest and pursue hobbies beyond division work. The conversation ended when Unohana Retsu arrived and Chiba Makoto mistook her for Isane.

• Kotetsu Isane brought division documents to Chiba Makoto, who told her the work could wait until tomorrow.
• Chiba Makoto encouraged Kotetsu Isane to separate work from rest and asked her to talk with him.
• Kotetsu Isane shared that she liked porridge, sewing clothes, and flower arranging, and Chiba Makoto offered to teach her flower arranging.
• Chiba Makoto and Kotetsu Isane chatted over tea in the hot spring until Chiba Makoto began to doze off.
• Unohana Retsu handed Chiba Makoto a towel, and he thanked her while mistaking her for Kotetsu Isane.

Unohana Retsu caught Makoto hiding that Kotetsu Isane had been nearby while he soaked in the hot spring. After Isane left, Unohana asked whether Makoto would take up his Zanpakuto and resist.

• Makoto panicked when Unohana Retsu found him in the hot spring and tried to explain why he had called out Isane's name.
• Unohana questioned Makoto about whether he had invited Isane to join him, and Makoto denied it.
• Unohana opened a Kidō barrier and revealed Kotetsu Isane, who admitted she had stayed nearby after Makoto fell asleep.
• Makoto told Isane to leave and asked her and Lisa to handle squad duties while he rested.
• Isane pleaded with Unohana not to punish Makoto, then left after Unohana assured her they would only talk.
• Unohana asked Makoto whether he should take up his Zanpakuto and resist.

Unohana Retsu forced Chiba Makoto into a brutal Zanjutsu lesson in the hot spring, where he endured her attacks to learn from her technique. After healing him, Unohana was moved when Makoto promised to treat her wounds someday, and she looked forward to the day he could strike her with his Zanpakuto.

• Unohana Retsu told Chiba Makoto that deceiving his teacher was unacceptable and challenged him to a fight after the banquet.
• Chiba Makoto asked to fight in the hot spring to limit Unohana Retsu's movements and focus on her hidden blade.
• Unohana Retsu repeatedly wounded Chiba Makoto in a Zanjutsu-only fight while he used his body to memorize her techniques and relied on All Things in Nature to heal.
• Unohana Retsu treated Chiba Makoto's wounds with Kaido and explained that remembering Zanjutsu through pain was the fastest way to learn.
• Chiba Makoto asked whether Unohana Retsu had endured similar injuries while mastering Zanjutsu and promised to treat her the next time she was hurt.
• Unohana Retsu smiled and said she looked forward to the day Chiba Makoto could stab his Zanpakuto into her body.

While recovering, Chiba Makoto secretly researched a way to improve spirit bodies, but he could not solve how Hisana could obtain a Zanpakuto spirit as the reconstruction core. He then learned from Yamada Hanataro that a Pro-Makoto Association existed and that Unohana Retsu had suggested formalizing it.

• Chiba Makoto continued researching how to reconstruct spirit bodies and hid a research space beneath his residence.
• Chiba Makoto concluded that a Zanpakuto spirit was the most stable core for reconstruction, but Hisana lacked the Reiryoku to awaken one.
• Chiba Makoto encountered Yamada Hanataro outside his residence and disguised his unsteady appearance.
• Chiba Makoto praised Yamada Hanataro's work and encouraged him to keep supporting the Fourth Division.
• Yamada Hanataro revealed that he belonged to the Pro-Makoto Association, whose planned formal name change had been suggested by Unohana Retsu.

Chiba Makoto learned that Unohana Retsu regularly attended the Pro-Makoto Association’s gatherings and tried to have the group banned. His complaint was sent back to Unohana, who hinted that she had heard about his acupuncture skills through the association.

• Yamada Hanataro told Chiba Makoto that Unohana Retsu attended the association’s gatherings and had invited him to join.
• Chiba Makoto decided to ban the association and submitted a complaint to the First Division, claiming it was improper and disrupting the Fourth Division.
• After the First Division forwarded the complaint to Unohana Retsu, she presented it to Chiba Makoto while they drank tea.
• Chiba Makoto said he feared the association was using his name to mislead people and argued that it should be disbanded.
• Unohana Retsu said she found the association interesting and brought up its claim that Chiba Makoto was skilled at acupuncture.

Unohana Retsu tested Chiba Makoto’s acupuncture knowledge and refused to let him practice on her, then discussed reforming the Pro-Makoto Association. The chapter ended with her proposing to rename it the Shinigami Women’s Association.

• Chiba Makoto eagerly followed Unohana Retsu to a medical research room, expecting to give her acupuncture, but she told him to lie down instead.
• Unohana Retsu tested Chiba Makoto’s knowledge by inserting needles and asking him to identify each point and its function.
• Chiba Makoto asked to demonstrate his practical skills on Unohana Retsu, but she refused and reassured him that his record with patients showed he was proficient.
• Unohana Retsu said the Pro-Makoto Association needed a new name and structure to grow, and Chiba Makoto suggested calling it the Unohana Association.
• Unohana Retsu dismissed Chiba Makoto’s suggestion and proposed renaming the group the Shinigami Women’s Association.

Unohana Retsu maneuvered Chiba Makoto into attending the Pro-Makoto Association’s event so he could publicly support renaming it the Shinigami Women's Association. At the meeting, Chiba was mobbed by enthusiastic members while Unohana watched.

• Unohana Retsu persuaded Chiba Makoto to join the proposed Shinigami Women's Association as a specially invited member and announce the name change.
• News spread that Chiba Makoto would attend the next association event and share important news.
• Three days later, Unohana Retsu brought Chiba Makoto to the meeting at the Fourth Division Barracks.
• Aoki Risa showed them the venue, including a large candid portrait of Chiba Makoto, and eagerly presented the decorations.
• Members crowded around Chiba Makoto, praising him and asking for treatments while Unohana Retsu was pushed aside.

Chiba Makoto was mobbed by members of the Pro-Makoto Association until Kusajishi Yachiru arrived and promised him a visit to the Eleventh Division. Zaraki Kenpachi, Unohana Retsu, Aizen Sōsuke, and Ichimaru Gin then arrived, leaving Chiba Makoto to deny that he had anything to do with the association.

• The noblewomen of the Pro-Makoto Association surrounded Chiba Makoto, and Kusajishi Yachiru clung to him and secured his promise to visit the Eleventh Division.
• Zaraki Kenpachi arrived, and Unohana Retsu stepped between him and Chiba Makoto as his spiritual pressure grew unstable.
• Aizen Sōsuke and Ichimaru Gin entered, and Aizen asked to observe the association's activities.
• Aizen Sōsuke advised Zaraki Kenpachi to restrain his spiritual pressure, then sat beside Chiba Makoto and asked to join the association.
• Chiba Makoto told Aizen Sōsuke that Aoki Risa had created the association privately and that he had no authority over membership.

Aizen Sōsuke recognized the Pro-Makoto Association’s growing influence and suspected Chiba Makoto intended to gain power across the Seireitei. At a packed meeting, Chiba proposed renaming it the Shinigami Women's Association and making women’s rights its mission, winning enthusiastic support.

• Aizen Sōsuke assessed the Pro-Makoto Association’s reach and concluded that Chiba Makoto had carefully secured influence within it.
• Unohana Retsu and Zaraki Kenpachi’s confrontation ended when Aizen Sōsuke arrived, and the gathered members filled the Fourth Division meeting room.
• Chiba Makoto thanked the association’s members and said his growing influence brought responsibility.
• Chiba Makoto proposed renaming the group the Shinigami Women's Association and committing it to equality, mutual aid, friendship, harmony, and women’s rights.
• Aizen Sōsuke applauded first, and the members responded with fervent applause for Chiba Makoto’s proposal.

Chiba Makoto deflected calls for him to lead the Shinigami Women's Association by nominating Kusajishi Yachiru as its president. Aizen Sōsuke saw the appointment as a clever way for Makoto and Unohana Retsu to gain influence through the association while avoiding suspicion from Central 46.

• Shinigami Women's Association members fervently urged Chiba Makoto to become their president, while Aoki Risa supported the movement.
• Chiba Makoto declared that the president had to be a woman and nominated Kusajishi Yachiru, asking only for objections; no one raised a hand.
• Chiba Makoto announced Yachiru as president and explained that the role meant many people would play with her, so she accepted.
• Aizen Sōsuke concluded that Chiba Makoto had devised a plan to control the association through Kusajishi Yachiru and Unohana Retsu without drawing Central 46's suspicion.

After the Pro-Makoto Association’s meeting, Unohana Retsu asked Makoto about his plans for the renamed Shinigami Women's Association and the principles he had presented. Makoto considered its potential influence, and Unohana Retsu warned that it could become a force in his hands.

• The Pro-Makoto Association members left the event discussing Makoto’s principles, while Makoto hurried back to the courtyard with Unohana Retsu.
• Unohana Retsu asked Makoto what he planned to do with the Shinigami Women's Association, and Makoto praised her fingers as exquisitely beautiful.
• Makoto denied that he had improper intentions toward the association’s members, and Unohana Retsu stood beneath the cherry tree to ask about his principles again.
• Makoto reflected on the members’ fervent response and his wish to focus on perfecting his Limit Spirit Body rather than pursuing power in Seireitei.
• Unohana Retsu said the Shinigami Women's Association could improve women’s status and rights in Soul Society and become a force in Makoto’s hands.

Chiba Makoto and Unohana Retsu agreed to give the Shinigami Women's Association stronger leadership, with Unohana offering to serve as chairperson. On his way to meet Kusajishi Yachiru, Chiba encountered Aizen Sōsuke, who unexpectedly asked to become chairperson himself.

• Chiba Makoto hinted that medicine could not save Soul Society, and Unohana Retsu proposed taking over as chairperson of the Shinigami Women's Association.
• Unohana Retsu told Chiba Makoto to keep his agreement with Kusajishi Yachiru and mention her chairperson plan when he met her.
• Chiba Makoto left for the Eleventh Division Barracks while considering how to organize the association and share the work with Lisa and Isane.
• Aizen Sōsuke appeared along Chiba Makoto's route and said he had deliberately waited to confirm Chiba's attitude.
• Aizen Sōsuke asked Chiba Makoto to let him serve as chairperson of the Shinigami Women's Association.

Chiba Makoto rejected Aizen Sōsuke’s offer to join the Shinigami Women's Association, then visited the Eleventh Division with Kusajishi Yachiru. He found Madarame Ikkaku surrounded by fighters on a training ground.

• Aizen Sōsuke proposed becoming chairman of the Shinigami Women's Association and suggested that he and Chiba Makoto could help each other, but Chiba Makoto tactfully refused.
• Aizen Sōsuke watched Chiba Makoto leave and reflected on their parallel ambitions for Soul Society and Hueco Mundo.
• Kusajishi Yachiru greeted Chiba Makoto at the Eleventh Division Barracks and carried him through the barracks as she showed him around.
• Chiba Makoto urged Kusajishi Yachiru to spend time outside the Eleventh Division and reminded her to meet members of the Shinigami Women's Association.
• Chiba Makoto spotted Madarame Ikkaku bare-chested on a training ground, surrounded by more than ten muscular Soul Reapers.

Madarame Ikkaku defeated ten Eleventh Division members, and Chiba Makoto healed the wounded before Kusajishi Yachiru asked him to help Zaraki Kenpachi fight to his heart’s content. Chiba agreed to heal the combatants from the sidelines, seeing an opportunity to assess the squad and plant the Seed of the Forest in its seated officers.

• Madarame Ikkaku released his Zanpakuto and defeated ten muscular Eleventh Division members in a group fight.
• Chiba Makoto healed the injured fighters, and Madarame Ikkaku ran to greet him before Kusajishi Yachiru punched him and shattered his jaw.
• Kusajishi Yachiru asked Chiba Makoto to help Little Ken enjoy fighting by healing the squad members during his battles.
• Chiba Makoto agreed to support Zaraki Kenpachi’s fights from outside the field and considered using the opportunity to assess the Eleventh Division and plant the Seed of the Forest in its seated officers.

Chiba Makoto agreed to heal the Eleventh Division while Zaraki Kenpachi led its members in a brutal training battle. Chiba’s grass-based healing kept repairing the wounded as Kenpachi’s slaughter intensified, leaving the two men locked in a contest of healing and destruction.

• Kusajishi Yachiru gathered nearly the entire Eleventh Division at the training ground after Chiba Makoto agreed to help.
• Chiba promised to keep the Soul Reapers alive unless they were killed outright, and his living grass spread across the training ground to heal them.
• Zaraki Kenpachi invited his division to attack him and unleashed his spiritual pressure, prompting the members to charge at him.
• Kenpachi cut down the Soul Reapers in a one-sided battle, and Madarame Ikkaku was disemboweled before withdrawing.
• Chiba drew in surrounding reishi and used the grass to repair injuries as quickly as Kenpachi inflicted them, allowing Ikkaku to return to the fight.

Zaraki Kenpachi unleashed his battle instincts as the Eleventh Division attacked him, while Chiba Makoto healed the wounded across the training ground. Captains watching the battle praised Makoto’s battlefield healing, though Tōsen Kaname showed displeasure at the acclaim.

• Zaraki Kenpachi’s spiritual pressure surged as he laughed and cut down the Eleventh Division members who charged him.
• Kusajishi Yachiru delighted in Kenpachi regaining his instincts and thanked Chiba Makoto for making it possible.
• Chiba Makoto sustained wide-area healing, treating more than a hundred wounded Soul Reapers and preventing any deaths.
• Komamura Sajin praised Makoto’s healing as equivalent to ten Medical Relief Squads.
• Kyōraku Shunsui called Makoto’s Zanpakuto potentially the strongest healing-type Zanpakuto in Soul Society, and Tōsen Kaname reacted with displeasure.
• Komamura Sajin agreed with Kyōraku and praised Makoto as a gentle and outstanding healer.