Chapter Summaries

Tsunayashiro Tokinada used Kyōka Suigetsu and All Things in Nature to attack Aizen Sōsuke and the Soul Reapers, while Aizen revealed Tokinada had been under his illusion for centuries. The battle shifted when Bankai—Great Crimson Ice Dragon froze the forest and Yamamoto Genryusai Shigekuni, leaving the Captain-Commander apparently defeated.

• Tsunayashiro Tokinada concealed an assault by All Things in Nature with Kyōka Suigetsu, making it appear that Aizen Sōsuke and the others had been crushed.
• Aizen Sōsuke revealed that Tokinada had been under Kyōka Suigetsu’s influence since their first meeting hundreds of years earlier.
• Tsunayashiro Tokinada launched indiscriminate attacks with giant trees and Wood Dragons, leaving Soi Fon, Kuchiki Byakuya, and Hisagi Shūhei unable to tell allies from enemies.
• Hisagi Shūhei suggested seeking help from someone unaffected by Kyōka Suigetsu, but Soi Fon and Kuchiki Byakuya saw Yamamoto Genryusai Shigekuni and Soul King Kugo instead.
• Bankai—Great Crimson Ice Dragon unleashed extreme cold that froze the forest, weakened Yamamoto Genryusai Shigekuni’s spiritual pressure, and shocked the Soul Reapers.
• Yamamoto Genryusai Shigekuni was frozen before his Bankai had fully manifested, while a miniature Ice Dragon rose above him.

Soul King Kugo froze Yamamoto Genryusai Shigekuni before he could unleash his Bankai, but Chiba Makoto rescued him and engaged Kugo in battle. Chōjirō Sasakibe brought Yamamoto to Unohana Retsu for treatment as she wondered why Makoto had chosen to save him.

• Soul King Kugo used Great Crimson Ice Dragon to freeze Yamamoto Genryusai Shigekuni and began a devastating descent toward him.
• Chiba Makoto intercepted Kugo, pulled the still-living but deeply frozen Yamamoto away, and prepared to fight Kugo.
• Soul King Kugo recognized Chiba Makoto as Kurosaki Makoto, and the two charged at each other, clashing with an ice dragon claw and a Reishi Blade.
• Chōjirō Sasakibe carried Yamamoto to Unohana Retsu and urgently asked her to treat him.
• Unohana Retsu wondered why Makoto had saved Yamamoto when his death could have helped her seize control of the Thirteen Divisions.

Chiba Makoto fought Soul King Kugo as the King's Seal unleashed the Great Crimson Ice Dragon and threatened to freeze the Seireitei. With Yamamoto incapacitated and few allies able to join the fight, Makoto faced the choice of relying on his dangerous Bankai or confronting Kugo alone.

• Unohana Retsu told Chōjirō Sasakibe that Yamamoto Genryusai Shigekuni would not recover in time to return to battle, leaving Sasakibe worried that the Zero Division might have to intervene.
• Chiba Makoto clashed with Soul King Kugo and targeted the King's Seal, but Kugo blocked his attack and unleashed a wave of frost.
• Soul King Kugo used Ice Flower Burial World, causing ice flowers to absorb heat and threatening to freeze the entire Seireitei.
• Chiba Makoto realized the Soul-Crushing Stone and Soul-Covering Membrane were containing the cold, and judged that few fighters besides Aizen Sōsuke and Unohana Retsu could help him.
• Chiba Makoto hesitated to use his Bankai: Imperial Decree of All Things because of its consequences, and resolved not to force Teacher Unohana to fight in his place.

Chiba Makoto revealed his true Reishi-form Zanpakuto and nearly cleaved Soul King Kugo apart, but Kugo healed and counterattacked with ice. Meanwhile, Tsunayashiro Tokinada’s attacks against Sōsuke Aizen seemed ineffective, and Kurosaki Ichigo spotted Tokinada standing close to two figures he identified as Aizen.

• Chiba Makoto transformed his Reishi Blade into All Things in Nature and struck Soul King Kugo, exposing the King's Seal in Kugo’s chest.
• Soul King Kugo grabbed Chiba Makoto’s wrist, healed his wound, and froze Makoto with an ice attack, but Makoto broke free and slashed at him again.
• Tsunayashiro Tokinada’s prolonged use of Enrakyōten’s copied abilities exhausted him, while his indiscriminate attacks appeared to have no effect on Sōsuke Aizen.
• Tsunayashiro Tokinada reassured himself that Soul King Kugo would defeat the Seireitei and reshape the world.
• Soi Fon brought Kurosaki Ichigo to observe the battle from outside Kyōka Suigetsu’s influence, and Ichigo pointed out Tokinada before seeing two figures standing close together and stammering Aizen’s name.

Sōsuke Aizen revealed that he had seen through Tsunayashiro Tokinada’s illusions and killed him, then effortlessly stopped Kurosaki Ichigo’s attack. The chapter ended with Ichigo confronting the enormous gap between his strength and Aizen’s.

• Aizen stabbed Tokinada from behind and explained that he had never been fooled by Kyōka Suigetsu’s hypnosis.
• Tokinada tried to imitate Kyōraku Shunsui’s Bankai, but the illusion vanished, revealing that Aizen had severed his arm and taken Enrakyōten.
• Aizen declared that Tokinada had lost his chance when he threatened his friend, and Tokinada died before his frozen body struck the ground.
• Soi Fon asked Ichigo to confirm Tokinada’s death, and Ichigo confirmed it.
• When Aizen appeared before him, Ichigo released Tensa Zangetsu and attacked with Getsuga Tensho, but Aizen stopped the strike with one finger.

Aizen Sōsuke overwhelmed Kurosaki Ichigo and left him questioning his origins, suggesting he was neither human, Hollow, nor Soul Reaper. Aizen then turned toward Chiba Makoto’s difficult battle with Soul King Kugo, where his arrival threatened to shift the fight.

• Aizen Sōsuke trapped Kurosaki Ichigo with Rikōjōgō and injured Kuchiki Byakuya, Soi Fon, and Hisagi Shūhei with three Kurohitsugi, though he said the divided attack would not kill them.
• Aizen Sōsuke touched Kurosaki Ichigo’s chest, questioned what he truly was, and left him wondering whether he was the son of Kurosaki Isshin or of the Gigai provided by Urahara Kisuke.
• Aizen Sōsuke suspected Urahara Kisuke, the Zero Division, or the Soul King might have influenced Kurosaki Ichigo’s birth, and resolved to let nothing obstruct his plans.
• Chiba Makoto struggled to contain Soul King Kugo and the fully released Great Crimson Ice Dragon, recognizing that Kugo’s regeneration and adapting instincts made him difficult to defeat.
• Aizen Sōsuke arrived near Chiba Makoto’s battlefield, prompting Chiba Makoto to consider calling for help or using Bankai if Aizen joined Soul King Kugo.

Aizen Sōsuke bypassed Unohana Retsu and attacked Chiba Makoto during his battle with Soul King Kugo. Aizen and Chiba briefly coordinated to nearly destroy Kugo, but neither could move to seize the King's Seal while the other watched.

• Kyōraku Shunsui and Ukitake Jūshirō blocked Aizen Sōsuke from approaching the battlefield, and Unohana Retsu persuaded him to stop.
• Aizen Sōsuke's apparent compliance proved to be an illusion, and Unohana Retsu realized he had slipped past them toward Chiba Makoto.
• Aizen attacked Chiba Makoto from behind, but Chiba blocked Kyōka Suigetsu with a Reishi Blade.
• Soul King Kugo's ice attack forced Chiba Makoto and Aizen Sōsuke to counterattack together, and their combined assault pierced Kugo's chest and nearly destroyed his body.
• Chiba Makoto and Aizen Sōsuke both refrained from seizing the King's Seal because each was watching the other.

Chiba Makoto learned that Urahara Kisuke’s absence had kept Zero Division unaware of Seireitei’s crisis, while the Espada pinned Urahara and his allies down in Karakura Town. Sōsuke Aizen attacked Soul King Kugo to seize the King’s Seal, but a Reishi Arrow struck it just as he pulled it free.

• Chiba Makoto questioned Sōsuke Aizen about his motives, and Aizen said he would trample anyone who stood in his way.
• Chiba Makoto deduced that Urahara Kisuke was Zero Division’s informant, while Aizen revealed that the Espada had tied Urahara, Yoruichi Shihoin, and the Visored Army down in Karakura Town.
• Chiba Makoto silently decided that Urahara Kisuke could not be allowed to remain, as Unohana Retsu’s blood-colored spiritual pressure made Aizen wary of fighting her.
• Sōsuke Aizen rushed toward Soul King Kugo to take the King’s Seal, and Kugo attacked Chiba Makoto under Kyōka Suigetsu’s influence.
• Sōsuke Aizen cut Soul King Kugo in two and pulled the King’s Seal from his chest, but a Reishi Arrow flew from the Flock of Birds Ice Pillars and struck the Seal in his hand.

Aizen Sōsuke retreated to Hueco Mundo after the King's Seal vanished into Chiba Makoto's body, ending the battle in Seireitei. The Espada also withdrew from Karakura Town, where Grimmjow discovered that Nel was missing.

• The Reishi Arrow struck the King's Seal, which disappeared, and Aizen Sōsuke left for Hueco Mundo with Ulquiorra.
• Soul King Kugo's corpse fell as the cold wave receded, and Unohana Retsu assured Chiba Makoto that Yamamoto Genryusai Shigekuni could still lead the Thirteen Divisions.
• Chiba Makoto realized that the King's Seal had transferred into a dormant space within his body.
• The Espada received an order to retreat from Karakura Town and broke off their fights with Urahara Kisuke, Yoruichi Shihoin, and the Visored Army.
• Grimmjow discovered that Nel was missing and said he would return to search for her.

Grimmjow stopped Luppi from insulting Nel and ordered his subordinates to search for her, while Nel secretly wandered through Karakura Town looking for her missing father. After following a familiar scent, she stumbled into Urahara Kisuke, who mistook her for an Arrancar spy and threatened her.

• Tier Harribel warned Grimmjow that returning to Karakura Town alone would get him killed, and explained that Nel could escape danger by returning to her true form.
• Grimmjow slammed Luppi to the ground and threatened him with a Cero until Luppi apologized.
• Grimmjow ordered his five subordinates to find Nel before they returned.
• Nel revealed that she had hidden in a Karakura Town house while Grimmjow fought, hoping to find her father.
• Nel followed a familiar scent through Karakura Town, tripped over Urahara Kisuke, and recognized him as an enemy.
• Urahara Kisuke mistook Nel for an Arrancar spy and pointed his cane at her, threatening to kill her.

Chiba Makoto returned to Karakura Town and attacked Urahara Kisuke after mistaking his treatment of Nel for abuse. Nel recognized Chiba Makoto as her father by his scent, and he offered to adopt her.

• Urahara Kisuke prepared to poke Nel with Benihime, but the Senkaimon opened and Chiba Makoto, Kurosaki Ichigo, and Ishida Uryū returned from the Seireitei.
• Chiba Makoto saw Nel’s frightened, tearful face and assumed Urahara Kisuke had beaten her.
• Chiba Makoto shattered Urahara Kisuke’s Blood Haze Shield, forced him to his knee, and slapped him into a crater.
• Nel clung to Chiba Makoto and declared that his scent identified him as her father.
• Chiba Makoto lifted Nel and offered to adopt her, leaving Kurosaki Ichigo and Ishida Uryū stunned.

Chiba Makoto reunited with Nel and agreed to let her stay by his side, while Urahara Kisuke warned that she might be an agent of Aizen Sōsuke. After the flower shop was destroyed, Chiba Makoto introduced Nel to the others and accepted the damage as a chance to move to a larger place.

• Nel insisted that she would never betray Chiba Makoto, and he believed her and welcomed her to stay with him.
• Chiba Makoto asked who had hurt Nel, but she explained that she had fallen while searching for him, easing his suspicion of Urahara Kisuke.
• Snopas, Nemu Kurotsuchi, Inoue Orihime, Chad Yasutora, and the others came out of the ruined flower shop to meet Chiba Makoto and Nel.
• Chiba Makoto said the crowded flower shop needed to be replaced and introduced Nel to the group as a girl he had found and planned to adopt.
• Snopas and the others greeted Nel warmly, though Ishida Uryū looked uncomfortable around an Arrancar.

Chiba Makoto received a new flower exhibition hall and living quarters from Urahara Kisuke as compensation for the destroyed shop. In the Seireitei, Unohana Retsu observed the shifting balance of power and attended a captains’ meeting where Hisagi Shūhei became the Ninth Division captain.

• Chiba Makoto secured compensation from Urahara Kisuke, who provided land and built a large flower exhibition hall in Karakura Town.
• Chiba Makoto and his employees moved salvageable belongings into the new hall, while a company under the Ishida Clan built his courtyard residence.
• Aoki Risa and Kotetsu Isane noticed changes in the Seireitei, while Unohana Retsu recognized that the destruction of Central 46 and the Noble District had shifted power toward the Thirteen Divisions and strengthened the Shinigami Women's Association.
• The recovered captains attended a resumed captains’ meeting, where Yamamoto Genryusai Shigekuni announced Hisagi Shūhei’s promotion to Ninth Division captain.
• Hisagi Shūhei accepted the appointment and took his seat as captain of the Ninth Division.

At the captains’ meeting, Hisagi Shūhei accepted the Ninth Division captaincy after previously refusing it, while the captains reviewed the losses from the King’s Seal incident and discussed the missing artifact. The meeting ended with warnings that Aizen Sōsuke would likely target Karakura Town again.

• Kyōraku Shunsui asked Hisagi Shūhei why he had changed his mind about becoming a captain, but Hisagi declined to explain and rejected Kyōraku’s invitation to celebrate.
• Yamamoto Genryusai Shigekuni restored order and led the captains through reports on casualties, supply needs, and division resources.
• Ukitake Jūshirō reported that the King’s Seal had vanished after being struck by a Reishi Arrow, and that the captains believed it had triggered Spatial Transfer on its own.
• Yamamoto ordered the Second Division and Eighth Division to keep searching for traces of the King’s Seal.
• Ukitake warned that Aizen Sōsuke’s Arrancar attack on Karakura Town had likely been a probe before a later assault.

The captains debated how to counter Aizen Sōsuke, and Ukitake Jūshirō argued that the Thirteen Divisions should prioritize defending Karakura Town. Yamamoto Genryusai Shigekuni asked which captains would be sent there, and Unohana Retsu unexpectedly stepped forward.

• Ukitake Jūshirō explained that Aizen Sōsuke was still preparing for war and had the initiative because he knew the Thirteen Divisions’ strength and intelligence.
• Zaraki Kenpachi proposed attacking Hueco Mundo, but Kurotsuchi Mayuri warned that Aizen could strike Seireitei or Karakura Town while their forces were away.
• Yamamoto Genryusai Shigekuni stopped Zaraki Kenpachi and Kurotsuchi Mayuri from fighting and invited Ukitake Jūshirō to continue.
• Ukitake Jūshirō argued that Karakura Town was Aizen Sōsuke’s primary target until he created the King's Key, so the Thirteen Divisions should shift their defensive focus there.
• Yamamoto Genryusai Shigekuni agreed that Karakura Town needed reinforcements and asked which captains should be deployed there.
• Unohana Retsu unexpectedly stepped forward as the captains considered who would accept the assignment.

Unohana Retsu volunteered to lead the defense of Karakura Town against Aizen Sōsuke and took Kotetsu Isane there ahead of the other captains. After changing into a student sailor uniform, Unohana set out to surprise Kurosaki Makoto.

• Komamura Sajin opposed Unohana Retsu going to Karakura Town, but she dismissed him and argued that he was not suitable to hold the town against Aizen Sōsuke.
• Yamamoto Genryusai Shigekuni approved Unohana's request to take Makoto's body with her and gave her full discretion over Karakura Town's defenses.
• Soi Fon, Kyōraku Shunsui, Hitsugaya Tōshirō, and Zaraki Kenpachi agreed to lead their subordinates to Karakura Town, while the Twelfth Division prepared Gigai.
• Unohana Retsu obtained a custom Gigai and left the Seireitei early with Kotetsu Isane to investigate Karakura Town and meet Kurosaki Makoto.
• Unohana Retsu and Kotetsu Isane put on their Gigai, and Unohana changed her hairstyle and headed off in a student sailor uniform to greet Kurosaki Makoto.

Unohana Retsu and Kotetsu Isane went to find Kurosaki Makoto, but they discovered his flower shop in ruins. Unohana Retsu froze at the sight, and Kotetsu Isane asked a passing old man if he knew Kurosaki Makoto.

• Unohana Retsu led Kotetsu Isane through Karakura Town toward Kurosaki Makoto's flower shop.
• Unohana Retsu hesitated over whether visiting her disciple was proper, then decided that Makoto was most important and continued on.
• Unohana Retsu and Kotetsu Isane reached the flower shop and found it reduced to ruins behind caution tape.
• Kotetsu Isane suggested that Makoto might live elsewhere, and Unohana Retsu calmly asked whether she thought he had given a false address.
• Kotetsu Isane hurried to a passing old man and asked if he knew Kurosaki Makoto.

Unohana Retsu and Kotetsu Isane searched for Chiba Makoto after learning his flower shop had relocated, and Unohana found his new residence behind the Flower Exhibition Hall. She left with the mistaken hope that Makoto had prepared the courtyard for her.

• Unohana Retsu pressured an old man into revealing that Kurosaki Flower Shop had relocated, though he did not know where it went.
• Unohana Retsu entered Kurosaki Clinic and asked Kurosaki Isshin where Chiba Makoto had gone.
• Kurosaki Isshin eagerly revealed Makoto's location and led Unohana Retsu and Kotetsu Isane to the Flower Exhibition Hall.
• Unohana Retsu watched Kurosaki Isshin leave and privately decided he was an unstable presence near Makoto.
• Unohana Retsu saw the courtyard behind the Flower Exhibition Hall and thought Makoto might have prepared it for her.

Chiba Makoto took Nel, Inoue Orihime, Nemu Kurotsuchi, and Snopas on a beach vacation in Karakura Town, where they played in the water and ate barbecue. As Makoto relaxed in a beach chair, something suddenly blocked his view.

• Chiba Makoto, Inoue Orihime, and Nemu Kurotsuchi fought a water battle until Nel charged in to help and accidentally knocked Makoto into the sea.
• Chiba Makoto rescued Nel when she began sinking, then rallied to defeat Inoue Orihime and Nemu Kurotsuchi after Orihime grew tired.
• Snopas brought grilled barbecue, and Chiba Makoto explained that he had arranged the vacation so the shop employees could relax without leaving Karakura Town.
• Chiba Makoto watched Inoue Orihime and Nemu Kurotsuchi play beach volleyball while Nel asked him to help build a Las Noches sandcastle.
• As Chiba Makoto enjoyed the beach, something suddenly blocked his view.

Chiba Makoto welcomed Yoruichi Shihoin to the beach vacation, where her teasing led him to pin her down before applying sunscreen. Inoue Orihime and Nemu Kurotsuchi then asked him for sunscreen too, while Unohana Retsu and Kotetsu Isane spotted him from a hill.

• Yoruichi Shihoin arrived in a revealing swimsuit and teased Chiba Makoto about making him wait.
• Chiba Makoto pinned Yoruichi Shihoin to the beach after she proposed a Hakuda contest, and he discovered that touching a sensitive spot made her go limp.
• Chiba Makoto applied sunscreen to Yoruichi Shihoin, who revealed she could keep cat ears and a tail in her human form.
• Inoue Orihime and Nemu Kurotsuchi each took one of Chiba Makoto's arms and asked him to apply sunscreen to them.
• Kotetsu Isane spotted Chiba Makoto from a hill, and Unohana Retsu confirmed that she saw him.