Chapter Summaries

Yamabuki Chidori intimidated a Quincy clan, killed ten members to harvest their Kon, and experimented with fusing Quincy and Shinigami powers. After repeated explosions, he used his own blood to create a counterfeit Hogyoku and planned to give it to Aizen.

• Yamabuki Chidori appeared among the Quincy, killed Aota, and demanded answers about experiments with Perfect Sanctification.
• When the clan head tried to turn him against political rivals, Yamabuki Chidori killed him and ordered the clan to provide ten people with the strongest Reiatsu.
• The Quincy elders delivered ten people, including Aota’s son, and Yamabuki Chidori killed them and collected their Kon.
• Yamabuki Chidori’s attempts to fuse Quincy and Shinigami powers caused explosions, so he considered how Kurosaki Ichigo and Utsusemi Hikaru had combined conflicting powers.
• Yamabuki Chidori used a drop of his own blood to fuse the two powers into an unfamiliar sphere enclosed in a Reishi shell.
• Yamabuki Chidori decided to give the counterfeit Hogyoku to Aizen and wondered whether Aizen could survive his current mission against Kuro no Suke.

Aizen tracked Kuro no Suke to the Human World, used restless souls to locate him, and confronted him at a mountain cabin. Kuro no Suke outmaneuvered Aizen with illusions and his Zanpakuto, leaving Aizen apparently wounded by a strike to the back.

• Aizen arrived in the Human World and recruited restless souls to search for Kuro no Suke.
• Aizen sent a newly dead boy to East 15th District after promising to reunite him with his mother, and the boy found Kuro no Suke’s mountain hideout.
• Aizen approached the cabin, but Kuro no Suke ambushed him and confirmed his identity before Aizen introduced himself.
• Kuro no Suke revealed that the woman and child were illusions created with Kidō, then released Night Sparrow and blinded Aizen with its feathers.
• Kuro no Suke circled behind the apparently blinded Aizen and thrust his sword into his back, spraying blood across the ground.

Aizen exposed Kuro no Suke’s hidden strength, outmaneuvered him in battle, and learned he had been coerced through threats against his family. After Aizen shot him and refused to help, Quincies arrived to rescue Kuro no Suke, whose past dealings with them began when one supplied pills that boosted his Reiatsu.

• Aizen revealed that Kidō-treated contact lenses let him see through Kuro no Suke’s Zanpakuto ability and fought him with superior swordsmanship.
• Kuro no Suke released his full Reiatsu, but Aizen’s strength grew during their fight until he matched him and inferred that Kuro no Suke’s family was being held hostage.
• Aizen pretended to offer Kuro no Suke a chance to surrender, then shot him and refused to rescue his wife and son.
• Kuro no Suke escaped Aizen’s attack using a concealed technique, but Aizen anticipated his escape and confronted him again.
• Quincies armed with Spirit Bows appeared, and Kuro no Suke’s memories revealed that one of them had supplied pills that increased his Reiatsu.

Aizen rescued Kuro no Suke from the Quincies and brought him to Yamabuki Chidori, who freed Kuro no Suke’s family. After confessing that he had betrayed and killed his squadmates, Kuro no Suke took his own life, leaving Sakurako and their son in grief.

• Kuro no Suke explained that the Quincies had used addictive Spirit Particle Pills to control him and forced him to kill Shinigami for experiments after taking his wife and son hostage.
• Aizen used Kyōka Suigetsu to make the twelve Quincies slaughter one another, then took Kuro no Suke alive.
• Yamabuki Chidori rescued Sakurako and her son from the Quincy dungeon and crushed the Quincies who confronted him.
• Aizen arrived with Kuro no Suke, who reunited with his wife and son before confessing his crimes to Yamabuki Chidori.
• Kuro no Suke warned Yamabuki Chidori to beware of Aizen, then committed seppuku in front of his family.
• Yamabuki Chidori covered the child’s eyes as Sakurako asked what crime had driven her husband to die.

Yamabuki Chidori arranged a safe place for Sakurako and her child, then his Counterfeit Hogyoku nearly killed Aizen before Yamabuki stabilized him. Aizen later discovered he could control Reishi and form a Quincy Spirit Bow, leaving him unsure whether to tell his teacher.

• Yamabuki Chidori offered to arrange for Sakurako and her child to stay with a peaceful Quincy family, and Sakurako accepted.
• Aizen suffered severe internal damage after swallowing Yamabuki Chidori's Counterfeit Hogyoku, and Yamabuki repeatedly repaired him with the Spirit Particle Suture Technique.
• Yamabuki injected his blood into Aizen, calming the clashing Soul Reaper and Quincy powers, though Aizen's Reiatsu did not increase.
• Aizen insisted on staying beside Yamabuki Chidori, then later sensed Reishi gathering around his hand.
• Aizen formed an ice-blue Spirit Bow, hid the ability, and spent the night debating whether to tell Yamabuki.

Aizen told Yamabuki Chidori about his awakened Quincy powers, then joined the campaign that wiped out the Aota family. At New Year, Yamabuki handed out lucky-money envelopes to children and, after Shunsui Kyōraku coaxed him, Lisa Yadōmaru.

• Aizen asked Yamabuki Chidori how to develop his Quincy powers, and Yamabuki revealed that he had once told the Captain Commander about his own.
• Yamabuki brought Sakurako and her son to a Quincy family descended from Ishida Aoi, then returned Kuro no Suke's body to Seireitei and explained that the Quincy had killed Kuro no Suke's family.
• Yamabuki agreed to send Aizen on a campaign against the Aota family and told Obana Danjirou to remain Fifth Division Captain until Shinji Hirako was strong enough to take over.
• Huo Ying led the 11th Division in a one-night assault that destroyed the Aota family, and word of the Quincy family's annihilation spread through Japan.
• On New Year's morning, Saitō Fubōfu dragged Yamabuki out of bed, and he handed lucky-money envelopes to visiting children and Shunsui Kyōraku.
• Shunsui persuaded Yamabuki to give Lisa Yadōmaru an envelope, and Yamabuki pulled out a large one when he saw her teary expression.

Yamabuki Chidori explained to Aizen why Hollows persisted and revealed that Baraggan, the former King of Hueco Mundo, had been imprisoned for five hundred years. Aizen used Kyōka Suigetsu to sneak into the 12th Division and visit Baraggan, whose memories showed how his captivity had left him determined to escape and reclaim his throne.

• Yamabuki Chidori dodged Lisa Yadōmaru's demand for red envelopes and left Aizen to deal with the people chasing him.
• Aizen reported that the 11th Division had been sent on more missions, but Yamabuki Chidori dismissed his concern and explained that human resentment continually created Hollows.
• Yamabuki Chidori told Aizen that Baraggan had once ruled Hueco Mundo before being captured and imprisoned in the 12th Division.
• After Yamabuki Chidori sent the staff on New Year holiday, Aizen disguised himself as his teacher with Kyōka Suigetsu and went to see Baraggan.
• Aizen evaded suspicion from Kirimaru Tsukishima and entered Baraggan's cell, where he saw the chained skeleton of the former king.
• Baraggan recalled Yamabuki Chidori's revenge and his five centuries of imprisonment, resolving to escape and reclaim his throne.

Aizen visited the imprisoned Baraggan and offered to help him escape, hoping to gain a future ally and a base in Hueco Mundo. After Yamabuki Chidori caught on to Aizen’s deception at the 12th Division but let it pass, Aizen secured a promotion and returned home to prepare to dispose of the Quincy prisoners he had been experimenting on.

• Aizen told Baraggan he could help him leave prison and reclaim his throne, then departed after planting the offer in his mind.
• Aizen encountered Yamabuki Chidori outside the 12th Division and distracted him from investigating Aizen’s earlier visit by offering him dinner.
• Yamabuki Chidori hinted that he knew Aizen had used Kyōka Suigetsu to cause trouble, but he let the matter go and took Aizen to an expensive restaurant.
• Aizen asked Yamabuki Chidori to help him advance, and Yamabuki arranged for him to take the vacant 6th Seat position in the Fifth Division.
• Aizen returned to his underground laboratory, where he planned to dispose of the Quincy prisoners after finishing his research.

Aizen killed the Quincies who remained in captivity and learned that Ishida Jōka had sought help from Shinigami officers. Yamabuki Chidori tracked Ishida Jōka to Kuro no Suke’s home and waited to uncover the collaborators, while Ishida Jōka stumbled into a room and woke a young man.

• Aizen killed two Quincies after one revealed that Yamada Kawa and Kuro no Suke had been helping their escaped companion.
• Yamabuki Chidori sensed Ishida Jōka’s Reiatsu and let him go to see which Shinigami would assist him.
• Aizen chose the wrong direction while pursuing Ishida Jōka, who went to Kuro no Suke’s home.
• Ishida Jōka threatened to expose Kuro no Suke’s dealings unless he helped him escape Soul Society, and Kuro no Suke hid him in a side room.
• Ishida Jōka entered the dark room, touched someone in the bed, and woke a young man who lit the lamp.

Yamabuki Chidori questioned Ishida Jōka and Kuro no Suke about Quincy spies and arranged a trap to expose more collaborators. Meanwhile, Aizen pursued Yamada Kawa, and the 2nd Division began interrogating the two men.

• Yamabuki Chidori caught Ishida Jōka in Kuro no Suke's home and learned that Kuro no Suke had traded Gotei 13 intelligence for antiques.
• Ishida Jōka named Kuro no Suke and Yamada Kawa as the two Soul Reaper contacts he knew, and Yamabuki Chidori persuaded Kuro no Suke to reveal roughly a dozen collaborators.
• Yamabuki Chidori sent Kuro no Suke and Ishida Jōka to the 2nd Division and ordered Hachisato to announce a false list of around a hundred suspects to make the remaining spies flee.
• Aizen headed to Yamada Kawa's home while searching for the escaped Quincy and looking for a chance to redirect suspicion from himself.
• The 2nd Division detained Kuro no Suke and Ishida Jōka, and Shunshun Shidō used Bakudo #77, Tenteikūra, to notify the Gotei 13.

Yamabuki Chidori exposed thirty-two spies in the Gotei 13 and sent teams to capture them, while the fugitives scattered across Soul Society. After a young bounty hunter confronted Yamada Kawa, Yamabuki heard the boy call himself Kensei Muguruma and stayed behind to investigate.

• The Gotei 13 announced that a captured spy had revealed more than a hundred names, prompting Shinigami spies such as Yamada Kawa to flee.
• Yamabuki Chidori let the spies escape during the night and recorded their identities, then reported thirty-two suspects to the Captain Commander.
• Yamabuki and Old Man Yamamoto argued over a self-criticism, and Yamabuki ordered Chōjirō Sasakibe to write one too.
• Shunshun Shidō reported that capture teams were ready, and wanted notices spread across Soul Society.
• Yamada Kawa saw his wanted notice, while a boy tore it down and claimed he could hunt Shinigami for a bounty.
• The boy identified himself as Kensei Muguruma, and Yamabuki Chidori dismissed his escorts and stayed behind after recognizing the name.

Kensei Muguruma confronted the fugitive Shinigami Yamada Kawa on the mountain and revealed overwhelming strength, while Yamabuki Chidori arrived to arrest him. Yamada Kawa surrendered after recognizing the Chief Strategist, and Yamabuki Chidori began questioning him.

• Kensei Muguruma followed Yamada Kawa to a cave and confronted him while Yamada Kawa was searching for food.
• Yamada Kawa attacked Kensei Muguruma, but Kensei dodged his sword strikes and smashed the jade Yamada offered as a bribe.
• Yamada Kawa released his Zanpakuto, Wind Wing, and summoned tornadoes, but Kensei shattered them with a single punch.
• Yamabuki Chidori appeared and confirmed that Yamada Kawa’s claims were false.
• Yamada Kawa recognized Yamabuki Chidori as the Chief Strategist, gave up resisting, and knelt as Yamabuki questioned him.

Yamabuki Chidori subdued the young Kensei Muguruma and returned to the Seireitei, where he confronted Aizen about the Quincy incident. Aizen confessed to imprisoning the Quincy, and Yamabuki Chidori appointed him to the Fifth Division while leaving him uncertain how much his teacher already knew.

• Yamabuki Chidori sent Yamada Kawa through a Wormhole to the 2nd Division and challenged Kensei Muguruma.
• Kensei Muguruma attacked Yamabuki Chidori, but his punches failed against Chidori’s defenses and power.
• Yamabuki Chidori defeated Kensei Muguruma with one punch and carried him home.
• Yamabuki Chidori observed that the captured Soul Reapers admitted their wrongdoing and implicated others to reduce their sentences.
• Aizen confessed to imprisoning the Quincy to study them and improve his strength.
• Yamabuki Chidori told Aizen not to worry, asked to see his research, and gave him an appointment letter for the Fifth Division.

Yamamaki Chidori welcomed Kensei Muguruma into his home and persuaded him to join the Gotei 13. After Kensei accepted, Chidori reflected on Aizen’s future role in the fight against Yhwach and decided to guide him while controlling the damage he caused.

• Kensei Muguruma feared Unohana would eat him, but Yamamaki Chidori returned home and explained that he had no intention of harming the boy.
• Yamamaki Chidori offered Kensei a place in the Gotei 13 and promised training, steady pay, and other benefits.
• Unohana served a spicy dinner, and Saito arrived with a roast duck while Chidori struggled to eat the food.
• Kensei admitted he knew only how to fight, so Chidori offered to enroll him in Shino Academy.
• Kensei agreed to join the Gotei 13, and Chidori planned to take him to register the next day.
• Chidori told Saito that Aizen was essential to defeating Yhwach and resolved to support Aizen while keeping his destructive experiments in check.

Aizen awakened Blut Vene under Yamabuki Chidori’s guidance, then spent ten years secretly growing stronger and reached Captain-level Reiatsu. He prepared to reveal Kyōka Suigetsu to the Gotei 13, leaving his large-scale hypnosis plan about to begin.

• Aizen presented his Quincy research to Yamabuki Chidori, who examined his Blut Vene and warned him to keep the ability secret.
• Aizen continued cultivating for ten years and secretly broke through to Captain-level in the basement of his home.
• Aizen asked Obana Danjirou for permission to demonstrate Kyōka Suigetsu to the Fifth Division and invited other divisions to watch.
• Shinji Hirako challenged Aizen about his carefully maintained smile, while Aizen concealed his growing strength and plans.
• Aizen judged the Captain Commander’s thinking outdated as he prepared to activate Kyōka Suigetsu before the Gotei 13.

Aizen revealed Kyōka Suigetsu to a crowd of Soul Reapers, hypnotizing them while Yamabuki Chidori watched and allowed him to proceed. Afterward, Aizen found an abandoned Tsunayashiro Clan laboratory in Rukongai to use for his experiments.

• Aizen dumped a towering stack of paperwork on Shinji Hirako and left him to finish it before nightfall.
• Yamabuki Chidori told Aizen he would not stop him from hypnotizing the Gotei 13 and pushed him toward the stage.
• Aizen released Kyōka Suigetsu and hypnotized the Soul Reapers who watched, while Yamabuki Chidori resisted the effect with his Reiatsu.
• Aizen decided he needed a secret laboratory and found the location of the Tsunayashiro Clan's abandoned testing site in the Great Spirit Library Corridor.
• Aizen slipped into Rukongai and claimed the intact but neglected laboratory for his Hollowfication experiments and future plans.

Aizen joined Shinji Hirako, Kensei Muguruma, Lisa Yadōmaru, and Captain Hane Hane Chiyo to fight Hollows, but their mission turned into a battle against more than a dozen Menos Grande. The team survived the attack, and Aizen was impressed by Hane Hane Chiyo’s mastery of Kidō.

• Yamabuki Chidori sent Aizen and the others to the front lines after Hollows appeared across Soul Society, warning them that Menos Grande were in their assigned area.
• Hane Hane Chiyo joined the team and destroyed Hollows with powerful Kidō as they reached the battlefield.
• After Kensei Muguruma boasted that he could handle one Menos Grande, a Garganta opened and more than a dozen Menos Grande emerged.
• Hane Hane Chiyo blocked the Menos Grande’s Cero with Bakudo #81, then released her Bankai as the team entered the fight.
• Lisa Yadōmaru pierced a Menos Grande’s mask, while Aizen released Kyōka Suigetsu and Shinji Hirako joined the attack.
• Hane Hane Chiyo defeated the four remaining Menos Grande with Hadō #90: Black Coffin, leaving Aizen eager to learn the technique.

Aizen used a staged battle with Baraggan’s loyal Hollows to hide their plan to free the former king of Hueco Mundo. He returned to his companions wounded, while the rescue forces moved toward Baraggan’s prison.

• An Adjuchas emerged from a Garganta, and Hane Hane Chiyo fled after casting three binding Kidō spells while Aizen stayed behind to cover the retreat.
• Aizen met Kuros, Baraggan’s former royal guard, and learned that more than twenty Adjuchas and a Vastolorde had gathered to help free Baraggan.
• Aizen gave Kuros a map to Baraggan’s location and released Kyōka Suigetsu so they could stage a convincing fight for the other Hollows.
• Hane Hane Chiyo and Hirako argued over her retreat, then prepared to call Yamabuki Chidori for reinforcements.
• Aizen returned to the group with a bleeding arm and shattered glasses, claiming that Kyōka Suigetsu had helped him escape the Adjuchas.

After Aizen helped free Baraggan, the former king escaped to Hueco Mundo while Soul Society repelled the Hollow invasion. The Captain Commander blamed Yamabuki Chidori for the security failure, and Chidori took his frustration out on Aizen, leaving Aizen to wonder whether his teacher had been mistreated.

• Hane Hane Chiyo carried Aizen to the Fourth Division, where he healed his superficial wounds and secretly wondered whether Baraggan’s rescue plan would succeed.
• An inconspicuous Hollow used Aizen’s key to free Baraggan, who released his Reiatsu before ordering his followers to return to Hueco Mundo.
• Kirimaru Tsukishima fought off the Hollows, but Baraggan escaped through Negación, and Soul Society’s defenders ended the invasion before dawn.
• Aizen learned Baraggan had reached Hueco Mundo and quietly reminded himself to stay humble, while his apparent selflessness earned him more admiration from the Fourth Division members.
• The Captain Commander ordered Yamabuki Chidori to write a ten-thousand-word self-criticism for Baraggan’s escape, and Chidori summoned Aizen afterward.
• Yamabuki Chidori scolded Aizen for withdrawing from battle to get treatment, and Aizen suspected his teacher was venting after being blamed by the Captain Commander.

Aizen confronted Baraggan after the Hollow king returned to Hueco Mundo and demanded that he honor their agreement. Baraggan refused and attacked Aizen, but the chapter ended as Baraggan unleashed a powerful King Cero.

• Yamabuki Chidori ordered Aizen to write a twenty-thousand-word self-criticism and an additional ten-thousand-word one for him.
• Baraggan returned to Las Noches after five hundred years away and met Salkapolo, who reported that Coyote Starrk and Tier Harribel had grown powerful.
• Baraggan asked Salkapolo to help build an army, then Aizen arrived and demanded payment for helping secure Baraggan’s freedom.
• Baraggan declared that he would not honor their deal and gathered Menos Grande to face Aizen, who announced that he would become King of Hueco Mundo.
• Aizen revealed that Yamabuki Chidori was his teacher, enraging Baraggan; Baraggan attacked with his axe, then fired a King Cero at Aizen.