Chapter Summaries

Chiba Makoto helped Tier Harribel escape to Hueco Mundo while keeping up his Quincy cover, then returned to the flower shop and discovered his home had been raided. The chapter left him realizing that his newly trained homemaker was missing.

• Chiba Makoto wounded Tier Harribel while secretly signaling her to retreat, and accidentally pierced Yammy's knee with a second arrow.
• Tier Harribel opened a Garganta and escaped to Hueco Mundo with Yammy before Chiba Makoto and the arriving captains could stop them.
• Zaraki Kenpachi and Kurotsuchi Mayuri blamed Chiba Makoto for the escape, but Kuchiki Byakuya thanked him and stopped Mayuri from escalating the confrontation.
• Chiba Makoto left the cleanup of Karakura Town to the Thirteen Divisions and considered whether the Hogyoku could help him develop Matter Particles.
• Chiba Makoto returned to the flower shop and found Snopas and the sleeping Kage doll, then realized his homemaker had disappeared.

Chiba Makoto learned that Nemu Kurotsuchi had left the flower shop and decided to bring her back by claiming she owed him 13.49 million yen. Ishida Uryū and Inoue Orihime then told him about Kurosaki Ichigo and Kuchiki Rukia’s troubles and relayed Urahara Kisuke’s request to meet.

• Snopas told Chiba Makoto that Nemu Kurotsuchi had left the flower shop and returned to the Seireitei.
• Chiba Makoto asked Snopas for an excuse to make Nemu Kurotsuchi keep working, and Snopas claimed she owed the shop 13.49 million yen.
• Chiba Makoto declared that he would bring Nemu Kurotsuchi back to settle the debt, omitting that he had never paid her wages.
• Inoue Orihime told Chiba Makoto that Kuchiki Rukia had been taken to the Soul Society and Kurosaki Ichigo had suffered near-fatal injuries and lost his Shinigami powers.
• Ishida Uryū relayed Urahara Kisuke’s request for Chiba Makoto to visit the Urahara Shop.

Chiba Makoto confronted Urahara Kisuke about the Hollow Bait and learned that Aizen Sōsuke might be pursuing the Hogyoku and threatening Karakura Town. After studying Urahara’s research, Makoto appeared persuaded to consider going to the Seireitei, where Urahara proposed that he help bring out Kurosaki Ichigo’s potential.

• Chiba Makoto went to Urahara Shoten after telling Uryū and Orihime to stay at the flower shop, then demanded that Urahara Kisuke explain the Hollow Bait in Ishida Uryū’s hands.
• Urahara Kisuke suspected Aizen Sōsuke had engineered the Menos Grande attack and warned that Aizen knew the Hogyoku was hidden inside Kuchiki Rukia.
• Urahara Kisuke proposed stirring up the Seireitei and exposing Aizen, but Chiba Makoto refused to infiltrate the Soul Society on Urahara’s say-so.
• Urahara Kisuke gave Chiba Makoto detailed Hogyoku research and explained that Aizen might destroy Karakura Town to reach the Soul King Palace.
• After reading the research, Chiba Makoto acknowledged the Hogyoku’s danger, and Urahara Kisuke revealed an injured but stabilized Kurosaki Ichigo as a potential ally whose power Makoto could help awaken.

Chiba Makoto prepared to enter the Seireitei with Ishida Uryū and Inoue Orihime, while secretly considering taking and fusing both Hogyoku. After Urahara Kisuke restored Kurosaki Ichigo’s Shinigami powers, Chiba began training him for the mission to save Kuchiki Rukia.

• Chiba Makoto agreed to bring Ishida Uryū and Inoue Orihime to the Seireitei and trained them for the dangers ahead.
• Chiba Makoto taught Inoue Orihime to seek Unohana Retsu’s protection by saying that Kurosaki Makoto was her teacher.
• Urahara Kisuke helped Kurosaki Ichigo regain his Shinigami powers and told him Kuchiki Rukia had been sentenced to death.
• Kurosaki Ichigo learned that Chiba Makoto had fought Yammy and Tier Harribel, then insisted on fighting him to prepare for the rescue.
• Chiba Makoto knocked Kurosaki Ichigo into a boulder and continued attacking to teach him not to let an enemy dictate the pace of battle.

Chiba Makoto pushed Ichigo to confront his doubts about saving Kuchiki Rukia by invoking the memory of his mother’s near-death. Ichigo declared his resolve to live alongside Rukia, but Makoto shattered the last of his Zanpakuto and challenged whether Ichigo’s heart was ready to fight.

• Chiba Makoto repeatedly knocked Ichigo down and questioned whether his resolve to protect those he cherished had changed since he was a child.
• Makoto threatened to end their training and go to the Seireitei himself to help save Kuchiki Rukia, bringing Ichigo’s memory of his mother’s near-death back to him.
• Ichigo rose and insisted that he could do nothing for Rukia if he stayed in the World of the Living, and that he wanted to live together with her.
• Makoto appeared before Ichigo and snapped the remaining blade from his Zanpakuto, asking whether their bond and Rukia’s Shinigami powers were such fragile things.
• Makoto told Ichigo that his heart, not his blade, was fragile, and swung the broken fragment toward him as Ichigo heard his challenge.

Kurosaki Ichigo awakened Zangetsu and unleashed a powerful slash against Chiba Makoto, but Chiba easily blocked it and began Ichigo’s combat training. The chapter left Ichigo facing a barrage of Reishi Arrows with little time to react.

• As Chiba Makoto’s broken blade approached, Kurosaki Ichigo resolved to fight, and Uncle Zangetsu urged him to call out his name.
• Kurosaki Ichigo shouted “Zangetsu,” released his Shikai, and shattered Chiba Makoto’s blade with his new Zanpakuto.
• Kurosaki Ichigo unleashed a powerful cutting wave, but Chiba Makoto stopped it with a Reishi Shield.
• Chiba Makoto told Kurosaki Ichigo that his combat training had begun and warned him to counter the Reishi Arrows or risk death.
• Chiba Makoto fired a Reishi Arrow at Kurosaki Ichigo, who blocked it with Zangetsu before two more arrows appeared.

Kurosaki Ichigo, Ishida Uryū, and Inoue Orihime joined Chiba Makoto on his journey to Seireitei to rescue Kuchiki. As they crossed the Dangai, Chiba reassured them and gave them intelligence on the Thirteen Divisions’ captains.

• Ishida Uryū and Inoue Orihime arrived to accompany Kurosaki Ichigo to Seireitei, despite his warnings about the danger.
• Chiba Makoto and Urahara Kisuke ended their preparations, and Chiba promised to protect his students before leading them through a portal.
• Urahara Kisuke opened a passage to the Dangai, and Chiba led Kurosaki Ichigo, Ishida Uryū, and Inoue Orihime through it.
• Chiba explained the dangers of the Dangai and warned the group to stay close so they would not become lost.
• Inoue Orihime handed Kurosaki Ichigo and Ishida Uryū charts of captain-class Soul Reapers, and Chiba cautioned them that captains varied greatly in strength.

Chiba Makoto guided Kurosaki Ichigo, Ishida Uryū, and Inoue Orihime through the Dangai, warning them about Soul Society’s captains before escaping the pursuing Kōtotsu. The group arrived in Soul Society, where Chiba Makoto sensed its spiritual particles responding to his will.

• Chiba Makoto explained the captains’ threat ratings and told Kurosaki Ichigo and Ishida Uryū to avoid provoking the strongest captains.
• Ishida Uryū asked why Unohana Retsu had no rating, and Chiba Makoto described her as a kind, noncombatant healer while Inoue Orihime recalled his private lessons had said otherwise.
• Chiba Makoto spotted the Kōtotsu rushing toward the group and carried Inoue Orihime as he hurried with Kurosaki Ichigo and Ishida Uryū toward the Dangai exit.
• Chiba Makoto and the others escaped the Dangai and entered Soul Society above Rukongai.
• Chiba Makoto sensed Soul Society’s spiritual particles stirring in response to him and realized they would move according to his thoughts within his will’s reach.

Chiba Makoto led Kurosaki Ichigo, Ishida Uryū, and Inoue Orihime toward Seireitei to rescue Kuchiki Rukia, explaining that their Ryoka presence would be detected and they would need to fight their way in. At Hakutōmon, Ichigōka Jidanbō blocked their path, and Ichigo charged him as Makoto wondered whether Aizen was waiting beyond the gate.

• Chiba Makoto landed with Inoue Orihime while Ishida Uryū and Kurosaki Ichigo also reached the ground, and Ishida mocked Ichigo’s clumsy landing.
• Chiba Makoto identified their location near western Rukongai and told the group to prioritize secrecy, speed, precision, and safety while rescuing Kuchiki Rukia.
• Ishida Uryū explained Seireitei’s defenses, and Chiba Makoto said their spiritual pressures would expose them as Ryoka rather than let them sneak in disguised.
• Soul-Crushing Stone walls descended and formed a barrier at Hakutōmon, where Ichigōka Jidanbō challenged the Ryoka.
• Chiba Makoto said they would force their way through, and Kurosaki Ichigo rushed toward Ichigōka Jidanbō.
• Chiba Makoto recalled sensing spiritual pressure beyond Hakutōmon and wondered whether Aizen was waiting there.

As Soul Reapers learned of the intruders and the Soul-Crushing Stone at the Hakutōmon, Kurosaki Ichigo defeated Ichigōka Jidanbō to earn passage into the Seireitei. Jidanbō opened the gate, and Ichigo and his companions began their entry to save Kuchiki Rukia.

• Unohana Retsu set aside her flower arrangement and went with Kotetsu Isane to look toward the Hakutōmon.
• Kurosaki Ichigo blocked Ichigōka Jidanbō’s giant axe and challenged the gatekeeper to test his strength.
• Ichigōka Jidanbō unleashed a two-axe attack, but Kurosaki Ichigo cut through the axes with Crescent... Heaven-Piercer!
• Ichigōka Jidanbō accepted defeat and warned Kurosaki Ichigo that more terrifying opponents awaited in the Seireitei.
• Kurosaki Ichigo declared that he would enter the Seireitei to save Kuchiki Rukia, and Ichigōka Jidanbō lifted the Hakutōmon for him and his companions.

Aizen Sōsuke confronted the Ryoka at Hakutōmon, offering to send them home while secretly trying to delay their entry into the Seireitei. Chiba Makoto blocked Ichigo from challenging Aizen and moved to face him so the others could proceed.

• Aizen Sōsuke appeared behind Hakutōmon, reassured Ichigōka Jidanbō, and told Ichigo he could not let the Ryoka pass.
• Aizen offered to plead for the Ryoka to be returned to the World of the Living and mentioned Rukia’s imprisonment in Senzaikyū.
• Chiba Makoto suspected Aizen was trying to delay the Ryoka’s invasion because his arrangements in the Seireitei were unfinished.
• Ichigo refused to leave without rescuing Rukia and raised Zangetsu to challenge Aizen.
• Chiba Makoto stopped Ichigo, told him to enter the Seireitei with Uryū and Orihime, and walked toward Aizen to face him himself.

Chiba Makoto confronted Aizen Sōsuke at the Hakutōmon while Kurosaki Ichigo and his companions continued into the Seireitei. Their duel escalated as Aizen drew Kyōka Suigetsu, but Chiba avoided seeing its release and challenged him to surrender the Hogyoku.

• Kurosaki Ichigo led Inoue Orihime and Ishida Uryū past Chiba Makoto and into the Seireitei while Chiba blocked Aizen Sōsuke’s attack.
• Aizen and Chiba exchanged rapid Hakuda blows, and Chiba kept himself between Aizen and the group moving deeper into the Seireitei.
• Aizen drew Kyōka Suigetsu and attacked Chiba, who dodged his blade and countered with Reishi Arrows while both controlled the battle’s impact.
• Aizen released Kyōka Suigetsu, but Chiba shut his eyes and retreated to avoid witnessing its activation.
• Aizen suspected Urahara Kisuke had warned Chiba, who admitted it and urged Aizen to surrender the Hogyoku.

Chiba Makoto confronted Sōsuke Aizen at the Hakutōmon and killed him with a Reishi Arrow. Unohana Retsu arrived, found Makoto beside Aizen’s body, and asked whether he had chosen to oppose the Thirteen Divisions.

• Sōsuke Aizen dismissed Makoto’s questions about the Soul King Palace and challenged his understanding of Kyōka Suigetsu.
• Makoto closed his eyes, summoned his Spirit Bow, and prepared to fight Aizen while considering taking the Hogyoku and pursuing his own plans.
• Battle fluctuations drew Soul Reapers toward the Hakutōmon, and Unohana Retsu hurried ahead of Kotetsu Isane.
• Unohana found Ichigōka Jidanbō dead and Sōsuke Aizen pinned to the gate by a Reishi Arrow, with Makoto still standing nearby.
• Unohana drew her Zanpakuto and asked Makoto whether he had killed Aizen and decided to oppose the Thirteen Divisions.
• Makoto denied the accusation, and Unohana expressed disappointment that he had not chosen to fight alongside her.

Chiba Makoto fled after Hinamori Momo discovered him talking with Unohana Retsu beside Aizen Sōsuke’s body. Unohana managed the aftermath and spared Hinamori from punishment, while privately considering whether to silence her for implicating Makoto.

• Hinamori Momo arrived at Hakutōmon, saw Aizen Sōsuke nailed to the gate, and collapsed in shock.
• Chiba Makoto attacked Unohana Retsu with Reishi Arrows as cover, then vanished into the Seireitei.
• Unohana Retsu blocked the arrows and ordered the Soul Reapers to take down Aizen Sōsuke’s body.
• Hinamori Momo accused Unohana Retsu of conspiring with the Ryoka and drew her Zanpakuto, so the Soul Reapers restrained her.
• Unohana Retsu ordered Ichigōka Jidanbō and Aizen Sōsuke’s bodies sent to the Fourth Division and chose not to punish Hinamori Momo.
• Unohana Retsu privately wondered whether she should deal with Hinamori Momo for repeatedly implicating Makoto.

Chiba Makoto evaded the Seireitei’s emergency search and entered Muken through a spiritual body to meet Sōya Azashiro. After they reunited, Makoto asked whether they would fulfill their old promise.

• Unohana Retsu sent Hinamori Momo to the Fourth Division for treatment, and the Seireitei issued an emergency order after the Ryoka attack.
• Captains from the Eighth, Tenth, and Thirteenth Divisions investigated Aizen Sōsuke’s death and confirmed that a Reishi Arrow had caused his fatal wound.
• Chiba Makoto realized Sōya Azashiro could have detected his return and decided to visit him in Muken.
• Chiba Makoto bypassed the First Division’s defenses and used a spiritual body to enter Muken without opening its Kidō gate.
• Sōya Azashiro greeted Makoto, who explained his absence and asked if they would fulfill their old promise.

Chiba Makoto confronted Sōya Azashiro about their promise to eradicate Hollows, forcing him to face the trauma of his sister’s death and the regret behind his relentless hatred. As Urozakuro entrusted Sōya to Makoto, Sōya resisted Makoto’s words and attacked him with blades formed from Reishi.

• Sōya Azashiro asked Chiba Makoto whether their promise to destroy all Hollows could finally be fulfilled.
• Chiba Makoto apologized for investigating Sōya’s past and questioned whether eradicating Hollows would ease his regret over his sister’s death.
• Sōya relived the nobles’ Hollow arena and broke down, calling for Urozakuro to take away his emotions.
• Urozakuro appeared in tears and asked Chiba Makoto to take care of Sōya.
• Chiba Makoto told Sōya that his plan to erase all Hollows was an escape from his past, and Sōya angrily formed Reishi blades to attack him.

Chiba Makoto confronted Sōya Azashiro in Muken and urged him to face the truth behind his sister’s death and the injustice of Soul Society’s order. As Azashiro began to question his memories and the world around him, Makoto left him reconsidering the nobles’ deeds.

• Sōya Azashiro attacked Chiba Makoto with blades, but Makoto dispersed them by controlling their Reishi.
• Makoto refused to leave Muken and told Azashiro he would help him escape through rebirth.
• Makoto challenged Azashiro’s belief that a Hollow alone had killed his sister, prompting him to recall that nobles had released the Hollows.
• Azashiro blamed himself and Soul Society, but Makoto reassured him that he was not at fault and condemned the unjust order and its creators.
• Makoto described Soul Society as a prison built on injustice, and Azashiro began recalling the nobles’ deeds.

Chiba Makoto helped Sōya Azashiro recognize that his wish was not simply to destroy Hollows, but to oppose the system that oppressed Soul Society. Sōya accepted Chiba Makoto’s proposal to work together toward reform, leaving Muken with a new purpose beyond revenge and destruction.

• Sōya Azashiro realized that his plan to turn Rukongai residents into anti-Hollow weapons repeated the injustice he condemned in the nobles.
• Chiba Makoto urged Sōya Azashiro to follow his true wish, and Sōya identified the Soul Society system and the Soul King Palace as the forces behind the oppression.
• Chiba Makoto proposed changing their agreement and joining forces to seize military power, reform Soul Society, and confront the Soul King Palace.
• Sōya Azashiro accepted Chiba Makoto’s offer and pledged his strength to the blueprint for reform.

Chiba Makoto learned that Aizen Sōsuke had escaped the Seireitei and left behind a convincing fake corpse, then discussed freeing Sōya Azashiro from Muken. After Chiba departed, he noticed Ichigo and Uryu fighting in the Seireitei but did not intervene.

• Chiba Makoto asked Sōya Azashiro whether he knew where Aizen Sōsuke was, and Sōya said he could sense Aizen if he entered the Seireitei.
• Chiba realized Aizen had escaped beyond the Seireitei after killing Ichigōka Jidanbō and leaving a false corpse behind.
• Sōya told Chiba that Muken had another entrance in the Technological Development Department, and Chiba planned to use it to free him.
• Chiba returned to his true body and left the First Division Barracks, while Sōya agreed to wait.
• Chiba saw a Getsuga Tensho rise from the Seireitei's southwestern side and concluded Ichigo and Uryu were fighting, but he did not go to help.

Chiba Makoto returned to the Fourth Division and reunited with Unohana Retsu while she investigated Aizen Sōsuke’s suspicious autopsy results. He held her and told her he had kept his promise to come back, leaving her responding with embarrassed affection.

• Zaraki Kenpachi and Kusajishi Yachiru ran in circles through the Seireitei while searching for the Ryoka.
• Unohana Retsu examined Ichigōka Jidanbō and Aizen Sōsuke, finding that Jidanbō died from Kyōka Suigetsu and Aizen from a Quincy Reishi Arrow.
• Unohana Retsu delayed sending the autopsy report to the First Division because she trusted Chiba Makoto’s account more than the apparent evidence.
• Unohana Retsu noticed a subtle difference in Aizen Sōsuke’s spiritual body, then found the autopsy table empty as Chiba Makoto approached.
• Chiba Makoto embraced Unohana Retsu and told her he had returned to keep his promise, while she asked whether he had learned his improper behavior in the World of the Living.