Chapter Summaries

Makoto spent his first day in the Fourth Division studying medical texts and awkwardly interacting with Aoki Risa. After Unohana Retsu gave him tea as a gift for becoming her disciple, she asked about Risa, prompting Makoto to redirect the conversation to his studies.

• Makoto studied Kaido and Medical Skills books while no patients came to the Gynecology Department.
• Aoki Risa fled at the end of the shift, and Makoto thanked her warmly and said he would see her tomorrow.
• Makoto returned to find Unohana Retsu making tea, and she gave him tea leaves in a gift box bearing the Sixth Division emblem.
• Unohana Retsu asked whether Makoto had enjoyed getting along with Lisa, and Makoto avoided answering directly.
• Makoto asked Unohana Retsu questions about his studies until he returned to his room exhausted.

Chiba Makoto realized Unohana Retsu had used her questions to assess his medical skills, while Aoki Risa grew closer to him despite her punishment and awkwardness. As Makoto continued studying at the Gynecology Department, Unohana publicly named him her disciple, and his reputation spread across the Seireitei.

• Chiba Makoto realized Unohana Retsu had drawn out a full assessment of his Kaido and Medical Skills proficiency.
• Aoki Chiyoko punished Aoki Risa for disrespecting Chiba Makoto, and Risa found herself making excuses for him as she knelt through the night.
• Aoki Risa brought Chiba Makoto a lunchbox and told him, "If... if you like it... then eat more."
• Chiba Makoto continued studying Kaido and Medical Skills at the Gynecology Department while Aoki Risa repeatedly brought him lunchboxes and acted conflicted around him.
• Unohana Retsu publicly acknowledged Chiba Makoto as her disciple at a captains' gathering and explained that she had assigned him to the Gynecology Department.
• Word spread throughout the Seireitei about the male physician known as "Gynecology" Chiba Makoto.

Chiba Makoto insisted that he wanted to remain Unohana Retsu’s disciple for at least two hundred years, partly because he feared the dangers of rising through the Seireitei’s ranks. Unohana was moved by his apparent devotion, then abruptly ordered him and Yamada Seinosuke out of the room.

• Chiba Makoto inwardly blamed Unohana Retsu for misleading outsiders about how he had joined the Gynecology Department, but outwardly reassured her that he would never question her.
• Chiba Makoto declared that he wanted to follow Unohana Retsu for the rest of his life, and Yamada Seinosuke was impressed by his apparent sincerity.
• Unohana Retsu told Chiba Makoto that he might awaken Bankai within a hundred years and could eventually succeed her as the Lieutenant of the Fourth Division.
• Chiba Makoto refused to pursue rank and asked to remain by Unohana Retsu’s side for at least two hundred years, while privately thinking that staying near her was safer.
• Unohana Retsu was moved by Chiba Makoto’s declaration, then shouted at him and Yamada Seinosuke to leave, driving them out with her spiritual pressure.

After Unohana Retsu kicked Chiba Makoto out of the courtyard, he headed to the Gynecology Department to spend the night and unexpectedly encountered Aizen Sōsuke. Makoto remained wary as Aizen praised his vigilance, leaving him unsure whether the meeting was a coincidence or a probe.

• Chiba Makoto and Yamada Seinosuke left the courtyard, and Makoto asked to borrow a room after Unohana Retsu had kicked him out.
• Yamada Seinosuke refused to share his room because his wife would object, so Makoto decided to sleep in his Gynecology Department office.
• Aizen Sōsuke approached Makoto outside the department, and Makoto recognized him and instinctively reached toward his Zanpakuto.
• Makoto challenged Aizen to identify himself, and Aizen introduced himself as the Fifth Division Vice-Captain and explained that he had come to check on Takamoto Natsuki and Miyami Yuki.
• Makoto apologized for his suspicion, while Aizen praised his vigilance and remarked that peace had made Soul Reapers lax.

Chiba Makoto tried to conceal his unease during Aizen Sōsuke’s probing conversation, learning that others considered him exceptionally talented. Aizen then asked how to extract Shinigami powers from an ordinary spiritual body, leaving Makoto alarmed by the implication.

• Chiba Makoto acted like a bashful newcomer while asking Aizen Sōsuke why he knew his name.
• Aizen Sōsuke praised Makoto as Unohana Retsu’s gifted disciple and the first male Shinigami in Seireitei history to join the Gynecology Department.
• Aizen Sōsuke told Makoto that most Fourth Division Shinigami needed years to master their department’s Kaido and Medical Skills, and Makoto realized he had underestimated his own talent.
• Aizen Sōsuke warmly encouraged Makoto to take care of the Fifth Division, then asked how to separate Shinigami powers from an ordinary spiritual body.
• Chiba Makoto warned Aizen Sōsuke that extracting Shinigami powers was dangerous and forbidden by the Seireitei.

Aizen Sōsuke asked Chiba Makoto to develop a way to remove Shinigami powers without destroying the Saketsu, citing a subordinate who wanted to leave the division. Chiba saw through Aizen’s story and returned safely to his office, where he began considering Aizen’s real purpose.

• Aizen Sōsuke told Chiba Makoto that a Fifth Division subordinate wanted to leave after her friend was devoured by a Hollow.
• Chiba suggested that she apply to the Central 46 Chambers, and Aizen explained that leaving would mean her Saketsu was destroyed and her Reiryoku dispersed.
• Aizen asked Chiba to develop a technique that could separate Shinigami powers from a spiritual body without causing the same harm.
• Chiba pretended to accept the request and said he would relay it to Unohana Retsu, while privately suspecting Aizen had another motive.
• Chiba returned to his office, relieved to have left Aizen safely, and considered why Aizen wanted the technique.

Chiba Makoto studied how Zanpakuto abilities could change between Shikai and Bankai and suspected Aizen Sōsuke was investigating the separation of Zanpakuto from Shinigami powers. Meanwhile, Madarame Ikkaku and Ayasegawa Yumichika learned that Chiba was assigned to the Gynecology Department and decided to help him.

• Chiba Makoto categorized Zanpakuto abilities and concluded that some changed categories between Shikai and Bankai, suggesting their powers were not fixed from the beginning.
• Chiba Makoto connected Aizen Sōsuke's questions about separating Zanpakuto and Shinigami powers, then wondered what Aizen intended to do.
• Ayasegawa Yumichika told Madarame Ikkaku that Chiba was working in the Gynecology Department and had not treated a patient in two months.
• Madarame Ikkaku laughed at the news, while Ayasegawa Yumichika imagined Chiba's predicament and joined in.
• Ayasegawa Yumichika urged Madarame Ikkaku to help Chiba, and Ikkaku proposed leading men to the Gynecology Department to back him up.

Madarame Ikkaku rallied the Eleventh Division to support Chiba Makoto after his assignment to the Gynecology Department, while Unohana Retsu explained why she had promoted his reputation and warned him about Aizen Sōsuke. The chapter ended with Unohana noticing that Makoto sometimes gave her a feeling similar to Aizen.

• Madarame Ikkaku gathered the Eleventh Division and announced that they would visit Chiba Makoto for treatment to show their support.
• Ayasegawa Yumichika hurried to Zaraki Kenpachi, hoping the commotion might lead to Makoto transferring to the Eleventh Division.
• Chiba Makoto returned from training overnight and told Unohana Retsu that Aizen Sōsuke had asked him for help with separating Shinigami powers.
• Unohana Retsu told Makoto she had spread word of his talent so patients would seek him out and help him gain confidence.
• Unohana Retsu warned Makoto to keep his distance from Aizen, then remarked that Makoto sometimes gave her a similar, hard-to-read impression.

Unohana Retsu recognized Chiba Makoto’s loneliness, but he quickly cheered himself by anticipating new patients at the Gynecology Department. Meanwhile, the Seireitei’s captains began their monthly meeting, while their lieutenants waited nearby.

• Unohana Retsu told Chiba Makoto that he resembled Aizen Sōsuke in his loneliness, leaving him briefly unsettled.
• Chiba Makoto decided his loneliness came from lacking kindred spirits, then looked forward to treating patients and using acupuncture to spread his Seed of the Forest.
• The captains gathered at the First Division, and the Captain-Commander opened the meeting with the Tenth Division captaincy still vacant.
• In the lieutenant waiting room, Kuna Mashiro and Iba Chizuru discussed the captains’ spiritual pressure, while Kusajishi Yachiru complained about waiting.
• Chōjirō Sasakibe told Kusajishi Yachiru to be quiet and wait patiently, then struggled to maintain his stern expression at her confused look.

Aizen Sōsuke interpreted Yamada Seinosuke’s mention of Chiba Makoto as a warning and resolved to eliminate him, while the Captains’ meeting ended with Unohana Retsu refusing to hand her beloved disciple over to Zaraki Kenpachi’s Eleventh Division. The chapter left Aizen wary of Makoto as Hirako Shinji’s conversation with Unohana added to his suspicions.

• Chōjirō Sasakibe told the waiting officers that the Captains’ meeting would end soon, and Kusajishi Yachiru thanked him by calling him a weird white-haired uncle.
• Yamada Seinosuke began telling Aizen Sōsuke that the Fourth Division was refusing his request concerning Chiba Makoto, but Aizen interrupted and claimed he understood.
• Aizen took Yamada’s remarks as a warning from Chiba Makoto and privately decided that Makoto should be crushed before he became a threat.
• The Captains’ meeting ended, and Zaraki Kenpachi left in displeasure with Kusajishi Yachiru after Unohana Retsu rejected his request to take Chiba Makoto into the Eleventh Division.
• Hirako Shinji and Yoruichi Shihoin spoke with Unohana Retsu about Makoto, and Aizen heard Unohana call him her beloved disciple before she departed.

Hirako Shinji confronted Aizen Sōsuke about his whereabouts, but Aizen privately dismissed Shinji’s suspicions and lamented that no one could understand him. Yoruichi Shihoin decided to investigate the person she called her senior’s cherished disciple and summoned the Onmitsukidō, ordering Fon to remain.

• Hirako Shinji questioned Aizen Sōsuke about where he had gone the previous night, and Aizen said he had visited Takamoto Natsuki and Miyami Yuki.
• Hirako Shinji warned Aizen that he would keep watch over him, while Aizen followed him with a polite smile and privately mocked his suspicions.
• Yoruichi Shihoin wondered about her senior’s cherished disciple and decided to send someone to investigate in the name of her Onmitsukidō duties.
• Yoruichi Shihoin rebuked Ōmaeda Marenoshin, asked about Ōmaeda Marechiyo, and told him to send his son to the Punishment Army Training Camp.
• Yoruichi Shihoin summoned nine Onmitsukidō members and ordered Fon to stay.

Yoruichi Shihoin sent Shaolin Fon to investigate Chiba Makoto by approaching him as a patient, then headed to the Sixth Division barracks. Meanwhile, Chiba returned to his office to find Madarame Ikkaku and a crowd of Eleventh Division men waiting for treatment, and prepared to give them a gynecological examination.

• Yoruichi Shihoin teased Shaolin Fon, then ordered her to learn about Chiba Makoto by visiting him as a patient rather than investigating him secretly.
• Shaolin Fon accepted the assignment and hurried away, while Yoruichi Shihoin headed for the Sixth Division barracks to see Byakuya.
• Chiba Makoto opened his office door and found Madarame Ikkaku and dozens of muscular Eleventh Division men packed inside.
• Chiba Makoto slammed the door on Ikkaku's head, then dragged him into the office and shut the door against the watching Soul Reapers.
• Chiba Makoto put on white gloves and promised the Eleventh Division men treatment appropriate for the Gynecology Department.

Shaolin Fon arrived at Chiba Makoto’s office on a mission from Yoruichi, but mistook the groans of male Shinigami receiving treatment for something scandalous. After Chiba recognized her as a member of the Fon Clan, he invited her inside for treatment.

• Madarame Ikkaku tried to leave after sensing that Chiba Makoto’s promised treatment seemed alarming, but Chiba blocked the doorway and insisted he stay.
• Shaolin Fon heard groans from Chiba Makoto and Aoki Risa’s office and imagined that something improper was happening inside.
• Shaolin Fon sensed many red spiritual threads in the office, then watched more than fifty male Shinigami file out looking pale and exhausted.
• Chiba Makoto noticed Shaolin Fon, and she overcame her urge to flee in order to carry out Yoruichi’s order and ask him for treatment.
• Chiba Makoto recognized the Fon name and invited the nervous Shaolin Fon inside.

Chiba Makoto examined Shaolin Fon after suspecting she had come to investigate him, and concluded she was healthy and faking her illness. The examination ended with Makoto still unsure of her motives.

• Chiba Makoto recognized Shaolin Fon as the future captain of the Second Division and decided to approach her cautiously.
• Shaolin Fon entered Makoto's office but left the door wide open, then gave her name, division, and age as he questioned her.
• When Makoto asked what was wrong, Shaolin Fon struggled to describe vague symptoms, making him suspect she was testing or investigating him.
• Chiba Makoto examined Shaolin Fon and found her spiritual body, Reiryoku, and spiritual pressure normal, with only minor fatigue and delayed development.

Chiba Makoto examined Shaolin Fon and concluded that her hidden injuries came from excessive training, while her body showed slight developmental delay. His unexpected concern softened Shaolin Fon’s anger, and she admitted she could not rest because she feared falling behind and failing to protect Yoruichi.

• Chiba Makoto suspected Shaolin Fon had come on behalf of the Second Division to investigate him and decided to cooperate with her.
• Chiba Makoto examined Shaolin Fon, found hidden injuries and slight delayed development, and recorded the diagnosis in her medical file.
• Chiba Makoto offered to treat her injuries and issue a medical certificate recommending rest, but Shaolin Fon refused.
• Shaolin Fon told Chiba Makoto that she could not stop training because she would fall behind Yoruichi and be unable to protect her.

Chiba Makoto treated Shaolin Fon and earned her trust by praising Yoruichi Shihoin and listening as Fon talked about her captain. After the treatment, Fon invited Makoto to a meal to gather information, and he agreed to go with her.

• Makoto offered Shaolin Fon regular treatments for her developmental delays, and she agreed.
• Makoto treated Fon while guiding her into an enthusiastic conversation about Yoruichi Shihoin, and his Reiryoku accumulation increased.
• Fon felt better after the treatment and thanked Makoto, believing he was a kind physician and fellow admirer of Yoruichi.
• Fon invited Makoto to a meal as a way to gather information, and he accepted.
• Makoto tidied his office and walked with Fon toward the Seireitei commercial district.

Chiba Makoto visited Seireitei’s commercial street with Shaolin Fon and bought glasses to disguise his appearance. Shaolin Fon’s recommendation left her flustered, while Chiba Makoto ended the chapter surprised by the cost of his three pairs.

• Chiba Makoto asked Shaolin Fon to wait while he went into an eyeglasses shop to find glasses that would conceal his looks.
• Chiba Makoto rejected several pairs, and Shaolin Fon nervously recommended a pair of silver-gray glasses.
• Chiba Makoto tried on the glasses, prompting Shaolin Fon to compare his refined appearance to Kuchiki Byakuya and grow flustered.
• Chiba Makoto set aside Shaolin Fon’s recommended pair, then chose three pairs and asked the shopkeeper to wrap them.
• Chiba Makoto froze when the shopkeeper charged two thousand kan for the glasses.

Chiba Makoto took Shaolin Fon to dinner, where she tried to get information from him and became drunk. As he escorted her back, he ran into Aoki Chiyoko, Aoki Risa, the Fifth Rescue Squad, and Unohana Retsu, leaving him to face their questions about Shaolin Fon.

• Chiba Makoto bought three pairs of glasses for 2,000 rings and reassured Shaolin Fon that he liked the pair she had chosen.
• Shaolin Fon took Chiba Makoto to a barbecue restaurant, intending to loosen his guard with sake and learn more about him.
• Chiba Makoto played the part of an inexperienced young man while Shaolin Fon drank and gradually became drunk.
• Shaolin Fon asked whether Chiba Makoto considered her a friend, and he paid the bill before supporting her toward the Second Division.
• Chiba Makoto encountered Aoki Chiyoko, Aoki Risa, the Fifth Rescue Squad, and Unohana Retsu outside the restaurant, and Aoki Risa asked who Shaolin Fon was.

Chiba Makoto tried to conceal his cooperation with the Second Division after Unohana Retsu found him supporting a drunken Shaolin Fon. Unohana sent Fon to the Fourth Division and kept Makoto at dinner, leaving him wary of her and wondering whether she suspected rival divisions were courting him.

• Chiba Makoto told Unohana Retsu, Aoki, and Lisa that Shaolin Fon had invited him to celebrate his first successful consultation and had gotten drunk.
• Unohana Retsu recognized Fon as a member of Yoruichi Shihoin’s personal guard and arranged for a Fourth Division member to take Fon back to the barracks and contact Yoruichi.
• Chiba Makoto tried to leave, but Unohana insisted he join her and the Fifth Rescue Squad for a meal.
• Unohana Retsu piled barbecue onto Chiba Makoto’s plate and told him to eat more, while he nervously insisted he was full.
• Unohana Retsu wondered whether Chiba Makoto had talents beyond Kaido and medical skills, perhaps including Shunpo.

Chiba Makoto learned that residents of Rukongai were losing parts of their souls and feared Aizen Sōsuke might be experimenting on them. Unohana Retsu planned to investigate the next morning, while Chiba entered his inner world for training and found All Things in Nature unusually sorrowful and concerned about him.

• Unohana Retsu questioned the Fifth Rescue Squad about more than a hundred Rukongai residents who had suffered partial soul loss or gone missing.
• Aoki Chiyoko reported that the affected residents showed irreversible spiritual particle loss, shortened lifespans, and lost emotions, but their missing soul fragments had no consistent pattern.
• Unohana Retsu suggested the cause could be an intelligent Hollow, an unknown creature, or a Zanpakuto ability, then told Chiba Makoto to accompany her to Rukongai the next morning.
• Chiba Makoto suspected Aizen Sōsuke might be conducting experiments in Rukongai and worried that he could become a test subject, but decided to wait for the investigation before drawing conclusions.
• Chiba Makoto began training with his Zanpakuto in his inner world, where All Things in Nature appeared unusually sorrowful and asked what was wrong with him.