Chapter Summaries

Aizen defeated Baraggan, seized the throne of Hueco Mundo, and recruited Salkapolo to help govern and conduct experiments. The next morning, Aizen brought his teacher Yamabuki Chidori two self-criticism reports that Salkapolo had written, claiming he had written them himself with his left hand.

• Aizen used Kyōka Suigetsu to defeat Baraggan and force him to kneel, then killed the Menos Grande who challenged his rule.
• Aizen made Salkapolo and Baraggan his administrators in Las Noches and assigned Salkapolo two self-criticism reports totaling thirty thousand characters.
• Baraggan accepted his defeat but secretly vowed to reclaim the throne and take revenge on Aizen and his teacher.
• Salkapolo completed the reports overnight, and Aizen presented them to Yamabuki Chidori the next morning.
• Aizen told Yamabuki Chidori that he had written the reports with his left hand, and Yamabuki Chidori praised him and offered him a place to sleep.

Aizen devised a way to use condemned Soul Reapers as subjects for his Soul Reaper Hollowfication Experiment and prepared Hollows at his secret base. The experiment was about to begin, with twenty-six death-row inmates in The Jail as potential subjects.

• Aizen realized he could use condemned Soul Reapers for his experiments and learned from a document that a noble Soul Reaper had been sentenced to death.
• Yamabuki Chidori discovered that Aizen's self-criticism was nonsensical, made him promise to copy it ten times, and summoned him back to the office.
• Aizen disguised himself as Yamabuki Chidori with Kyōka Suigetsu, visited The Jail, and learned that twenty-six Death Row Inmates were held there and the Staff Department set execution dates.
• Aizen went to Hueco Mundo and ordered Salkapolo to prepare Hollows for the experiment while warning Baraggan against challenging him.
• Aizen brought several weak Hollows to the abandoned Tsunayashiro Clan experimental site, caged them, and disabled their limbs so they could not escape.

Yamabuki Chidori recruited Baraggan and Salkapolo to monitor Aizen in Hueco Mundo. Aizen then used a security assignment at an execution ground to ensnare Shinji Hirako and the other Shinigami with Kyōka Suigetsu, preparing to test his experiment on the arriving prisoner.

• Yamabuki Chidori appeared in Hueco Mundo and frightened Baraggan and the other Hollows with his overwhelming Reiatsu.
• Yamabuki Chidori asked Salkapolo about Aizen, then traded a strand of hair for reports on Aizen's actions.
• Yamabuki Chidori promised Baraggan true freedom in return for helping monitor Aizen, then left through a Garganta.
• At a Fifth Division meeting, Obana Danjirou assigned Aizen and Shinji Hirako to guard an execution ground in three days.
• Aizen provoked Hirako during their watch, used Kyōka Suigetsu to control him and everyone at the execution grounds, and went to inspect the approaching test subject.

Aizen used Kyōka Suigetsu to fake Shimiya Kiga’s execution and lead him out of Seireitei, deceiving Shinji Hirako and narrowly avoiding detection by Yamabuki Chidori. As they neared safety, Aizen revealed that he had saved Shimiya for human experiments, leaving Shimiya terrified of his real fate.

• Shimiya Kiga was escorted to the execution ground, where Aizen offered to help him escape if he stayed quiet and followed instructions.
• Aizen used Kyōka Suigetsu to make the Executioner believe he had killed Shimiya, then disguised and led him away while Shinji Hirako saw only Aizen.
• Aizen and Shimiya ran into Yamabuki Chidori, but Aizen convinced him they were simply returning from guard duty and continued on with Shimiya.
• After they left Seireitei, Aizen told Shimiya he had saved him to use him in human experiments, and Shimiya realized he had traded execution for a new danger.

Aizen captured Shimiya Kiga and used him as the first subject in an artificial Hollowfication experiment, which ended with Shimiya disintegrating. Yamabuki Chidori then went to the Soul King Palace to ask to study the Soul King, and the Soul King summoned him inside despite the Royal Guard’s alarm.

• Aizen captured Shimiya Kiga, infused him with Hollow Power, and watched him transform before his body crumbled to dust.
• Yamabuki Chidori secretly witnessed the experiment and decided to investigate whether the Hogyoku’s wish-granting power came from the Soul King.
• Yamabuki Chidori opened a Wormhole to the Soul King Palace and joined Ichibē Hyōsube, Nimaiya Ōetsu, and Tenjirō Kirinji for hot pot.
• Yamabuki Chidori asked to borrow the Soul King for research and proposed dividing him into eighteen thousand pieces, prompting the Royal Guard to prepare for a fight.
• Yamabuki Chidori used Bankai, Scarlet Angel, to reverse time and restore the table Nimaiya Ōetsu had flipped.
• The Soul King told the Royal Guard not to stop Yamabuki Chidori, and Yamabuki Chidori entered to meet him.

Yamabuki Chidori obtained the Soul King's Fingertip and began creating a Hogyoku by condensing Reishi. After feeding it spiritual beings and Hell Power, he watched its interior transform, but still did not know what use the Hogyoku would have for him.

• The Soul King gave Yamabuki Chidori a fingertip and again asked him to take the Soul King's place, but Yamabuki Chidori refused and left the palace.
• Yamabuki Chidori wondered whether making the Hogyoku early would keep Gin Ichimaru from going undercover for Aizen to recover the part of Rangiku Matsumoto's soul.
• Yamabuki Chidori used Perfect Sanctification in Hueco Mundo to condense Reishi into a Hogyoku Shell, which continued absorbing Reishi and left a vast area stripped bare.
• Yamabuki Chidori fed the Hogyoku a Hollow, a Menos Grande, and parts of his own and the Soul King's bodies, causing brilliant flashes when it absorbed spiritually powerful material.
• Yamabuki Chidori took the Hogyoku to Hell and let it devour Phosphor Gas; after he suppressed Hell's protesting consciousness, the Hogyoku's interior began to resemble a living starfield.

Yamabuki Chidori left Hell, gave Aizen the Hogyoku, and watched his student begin planning to build an Arrancar army. After learning that Aizen intended to recruit Coyote Starrk and Tier Harribel, Chidori entered Hueco Mundo to reach them first.

• Yamabuki Chidori departed Hell, where Kuroto vowed to wait for a chance to take revenge.
• Yamabuki Chidori treated Aizen to dinner, then gave him the Hogyoku and urged him to stay true to his own path.
• Aizen resolved to grow stronger, recruit loyal subordinates, and create an army he would call the Arrancar.
• Aizen ordered Salkapolo to prepare Hollows for experiments and sent Baraggan to search for more Vasto Lordes.
• Salkapolo secretly reported Aizen's plans to Yamabuki Chidori, who decided to find Coyote Starrk and Tier Harribel before Aizen recruited them.
• Yamabuki Chidori opened a Garganta and returned to Hueco Mundo to contact Coyote Starrk.

Yamabuki Chidori recruited Coyote Starrk, Nel Tu, and Tier Harribel for an undercover mission to monitor Aizen, then returned to Soul Society. A century later, he and Unohana attended Hachisato’s funeral, where Hōgen explained that accumulated injuries had hastened his father’s death.

• Yamabuki Chidori persuaded Coyote Starrk to join a mission to spy on Aizen and protect Hueco Mundo.
• Yamabuki Chidori found Nel Tu, knocked her unconscious, and then abducted Tier Harribel when she intervened.
• Coyote Starrk helped Yamabuki Chidori explain the undercover mission, and Nel Tu and Tier Harribel agreed to follow Baraggan into Las Noches.
• Yamabuki Chidori returned home and spent the night with Unohana.
• A century later, Yamabuki Chidori and Unohana attended Hachisato’s funeral alongside the Gotei 13, and Hōgen said his father’s old injuries had eventually overwhelmed him.

Yamabuki Chidori and the Captain Commander arranged replacements for the 2nd and 5th Division leadership as Obana Danjirō resigned to run an orphanage. Obana left Shinji Hirako in charge of the Fifth Division, while Chidori questioned his readiness and discussed Aizen’s potential.

• After Hōgen’s father’s funeral, Yamabuki Chidori rejected the Captain Commander’s suggestion that Hōgen’s son become the 2nd Division Lieutenant and approved Shunshun Shidō’s candidate, Oomaeda Koshin.
• Yamabuki Chidori gave the Captain Commander Obana Danjirō’s resignation letter and recommended Shinji Hirako as the next Captain of the Fifth Division; the Captain Commander agreed to prepare the appointment.
• Obana Danjirō told Shinji Hirako that he had recommended him for Captain and planned to become an orphanage director in Rukongai, encouraging him to rely on Aizen for help.
• The Fifth Division members gathered to farewell Obana Danjirō and gave him gifts for the orphanage; Aizen brought a carriage, and Yamabuki Chidori escorted Obana.
• On the carriage ride, Obana Danjirō defended his choice of Hirako and said Aizen was also capable of becoming a Lieutenant or Captain; Chidori agreed to trust Hirako and promised more funding for the orphanage.

Shinji Hirako became the Fifth Division Captain and tried to make Aizen run errands, but Aizen repeatedly thwarted him while avoiding his work. After spending the day relaxing in Rukongai, Aizen finally found a shop selling snacks, leaving the Natto errand unfinished.

• Shinji Hirako officially became the Fifth Division Captain, and Aizen became his lieutenant.
• Hirako ordered Aizen to buy Natto in Rukongai, but Aizen napped instead and later refused to go during his lunch break.
• Aizen spent three hours eating lunch while Hirako waited, then revealed he had left stacks of documents on the captain’s desk.
• Aizen walked to Rukongai, relaxed at a teahouse, and wondered briefly whether abandoning his ambitions would make him happy before deciding to continue bearing responsibility for the world.
• At dusk, Aizen planned to buy the Natto and give it to Hirako the next day, then found a shop selling snacks.

Aizen pranked Hirako with a bag of putrid expired natto, then reported finding a girl with unusually powerful Reiatsu whom he wanted to recruit for the Fifth Division. As Hirako struggled under Aizen’s pile of paperwork, he decided to bring Yamabuki Chidori in to help him deal with his Lieutenant.

• Aizen bought expired natto from Sarugaki Hiyori after visiting several shops and learning her name.
• Aizen returned to work the next day after leaving Hirako to handle paperwork all night, then gave him the foul-smelling natto.
• Hirako confronted Aizen over the prank, and Aizen admitted he had deliberately bought the disgusting food.
• Aizen told Hirako about Sarugaki Hiyori’s powerful Reiatsu and proposed recruiting her into the Fifth Division.
• Aizen piled his paperwork onto Hirako’s workload, so Hirako decided to seek Yamabuki Chidori’s help and rushed to her office.

Yamabuki Chidori joined Shinji Hirako and Aizen Sōsuke to meet Sarugaki Hiyori and recruit her into the Gotei 13. Hiyori refused to decide but kept Chidori’s recommendation letter, while Hirako was left baffled by Chidori pulling black stockings from his clothes.

• Shinji Hirako dragged Yamabuki Chidori to reprimand Aizen Sōsuke for slacking, but Chidori blamed Aizen for getting caught rather than for loafing.
• Chidori agreed to visit Sarugaki Hiyori, and Aizen persuaded Hirako to pay for an expensive dinner before the three ate ramen at a roadside stall.
• Aizen led Chidori and Hirako to Hiyori’s shop, where she accused Aizen of trying to get a refund for expired natto and shut them out.
• Chidori reopened Hiyori’s shutter and invited her to join the Gotei 13, explaining the job’s benefits and giving her a recommendation letter.
• Hiyori rejected the invitation for now but kept the letter, then shut the shop door on the three men.
• Hirako prepared to leave, but he spotted Chidori pulling black silk stockings from his clothes and demanded an explanation.

Hiyori sold tangyuan at the night market, where Kirimaru Tsukishima recognized her potential to become a Soul Reaper. As the market closed, Hiyori sensed a dangerous presence and discovered a Hollow behind the children.

• Yamabuki Chidori proposed kidnapping Hiyori to force her into the Gotei 13, but Shinji Hirako and Aizen refused to join him, so he left through a wormhole.
• Kirimaru Tsukishima arrived at the night market looking for food and met Hiyori at her tangyuan stall.
• Kirimaru Tsukishima sensed Hiyori's ability to perceive her reiatsu and told her she had the potential to become a Soul Reaper.
• Hiyori served tangyuan and peanuts to the children at the market as the vendors began packing up for the night.
• Hiyori sensed a terrifying presence, warned the children to run, and saw a Hollow emerge behind them.

Hiyori nearly died protecting children from Hollows, but Kirimaru Tsukishima rescued her and brought Yamabuki Chidori to heal her. After waking fully recovered, Hiyori learned she could escape her enormous medical bill by joining the Gotei 13.

• A Hollow attacked children, and Hiyori wounded it with a kitchen knife before it badly injured her.
• Kirimaru Tsukishima killed the Hollows, carried Hiyori to the Fourth Division, and fetched Yamabuki Chidori when her condition worsened.
• Yamabuki Chidori healed Hiyori's wounds, and she woke the following day without scars.
• Hiyori argued with Yamabuki Chidori, then panicked when he presented a medical bill she could repay only after seven hundred years.
• Kirimaru Tsukishima offered to waive Hiyori's fees if she joined the Gotei 13, and Hiyori considered the offer.

Hiyori chose to join the 12th Division and teamed up with Aizen to prank Hirako, while Yamabuki Chidori later received an invitation to a Kuchiki wedding. The chapter ended with Chidori visiting the 11th Division and finding Huo Ying building snowmen with her squad.

• Hiyori agreed to become a Soul Reaper and asked to work with Kiryu in the 12th Division.
• Aizen and Hiyori conspired to shave Hirako’s head after he passed out drunk, and Aizen later gave him a wig made from his own hair.
• Hiyori entered Shino Academy, where she would study before joining the 12th Division.
• Yamabuki Chidori signed Kuchiki Sumikura’s lieutenant appointment and accepted an invitation to Kuchiki Kyōka’s wedding.
• Yamabuki Chidori visited the 11th Division and found Huo Ying building snowmen with her squad.

Yamabuki Chidori brought Huo Ying to investigate two injured Shinigami’s report of upright-walking beasts and discovered a deserted Werewolf Clan village in the snowy mountains. He confronted two werewolves guarding a trail and demanded an explanation for the attack, leaving the cause of the incident unresolved.

• Huo Ying nearly attacked Yamabuki Chidori for breaking his old promise, but he persuaded her to behave by promising to take her to a Kuchiki Clan wedding feast.
• Yamabuki Chidori and Huo Ying visited Shikkōgai Musashi, where two wounded Seventh Division Shinigami arrived with bite marks and reported being attacked by humanlike beasts.
• Yamabuki Chidori suspected the Werewolf Clan and took Huo Ying up the mountain, where they found blood and an abandoned village with oversized huts and wolf fur.
• Two werewolves attacked Yamabuki Chidori and Huo Ying with wooden spears, then warned them to leave their territory.
• Yamabuki Chidori demanded that the werewolves explain why their companions had injured the Shinigami.

Yamabuki Chidori confronted the Werewolf Clan’s Great Wolf after a clash with Soul Reapers, then settled the dispute with an apology and a promise of peace. As Chidori left, young Sajin Komamura became fascinated by the outside world, while the Great Wolf ordered the clan to avoid future conflicts.

• Yamabuki Chidori intimidated two werewolves with a display of Reiatsu and was escorted to the clan’s winter settlement.
• Yamabuki Chidori met the Great Wolf in a hot-spring cave and demanded an explanation, provoking him by joking about taking a wolf cub.
• The Great Wolf offered medicinal wine as an apology, and Yamabuki Chidori agreed that both sides would prevent further attacks.
• Yamabuki Chidori gave young Sajin Komamura a pastry and invited him to seek out the outside world, leaving him eager to see it.
• Yamabuki Chidori and Huo Ying left with the medicinal wine, and the Great Wolf ordered the clan to avoid further clashes with Soul Reapers.

Yamabuki Chidori brought Huo Ying back after resolving the Werewolf Clan’s misunderstanding with the Soul Reapers, then recreated the clan’s medicinal wine. As he considered giving it to the Kuchiki Clan for an upcoming wedding, he wondered whether Kuchiki Kyōka’s tragic fate would still unfold in this timeline.

• Great Wolf agreed that the Werewolf Clan had to leave the mountains, while Yamabuki Chidori and Huo Ying drank the clan’s medicinal wine on their way down.
• Yamabuki Chidori carried the unconscious Huo Ying home, kept most of the wine for himself, and gave the injured Soul Reapers apology gifts from the Werewolf Clan.
• Yamabuki Chidori explained the misunderstanding to the Soul Reapers, who accepted the clan’s apology and revealed they had been searching for a spirit herb to improve their vigor.
• Yamabuki Chidori identified the wine’s ingredients, reproduced it, and planned to give it to the Kuchiki Clan before the wedding.
• Yamabuki Chidori recalled how Kuchiki Kyōka had been framed and sealed away, then questioned whether those events would happen now that the nobles no longer dared cause trouble.

Yamabuki Chidori agreed to guide Kōga after Ginrei arranged for him to leave the Sixth Division and join the Staff Department. Kōga reported for his first day expecting a prestigious office, but found it overwhelmed by chaotic paperwork and absurd proposals.

• Yamabuki Chidori ordered a subordinate to gather information on Kuchiki Kyōka and decided he wanted to meet him.
• Ginrei and Yamabuki Chidori helped prepare for Kōga and Ginrei's daughter's lavish wedding, and Ginrei asked Yamabuki Chidori to assess his new son-in-law.
• After the wedding procession, Ginrei told Kōga to set aside his Sixth Division duties and study under Yamabuki Chidori.
• Kōga worried that the Staff Department post would waste his combat abilities, but Ginrei refused to explain his reasons and urged him to report on time.
• Kōga arrived at the Staff Department and found Shinigami scrambling through piles of documents while angrily rejecting bizarre proposals.

Kuchiki Kyōka reported to Yamabuki Chidori, who asked what kind of person he wanted to become and agreed to teach him to fight. After Kyōka claimed he was stronger than Aizen, Chidori arranged a sparring match that left Kyōka badly injured and facing an uphill battle.

• Kuchiki Kyōka nervously reported to Yamabuki Chidori, who asked him to choose a path and heard that he wanted strength to protect those he cared about.
• Yamabuki Chidori assigned Kuchiki Kyōka her paperwork and summoned Aizen to serve as his sparring partner.
• Kuchiki Kyōka claimed he was stronger than Aizen, so Yamabuki Chidori promised him a Lieutenant promotion if he won and brought them to a training ground.
• Kuchiki Kyōka released Muramasa, and Aizen pretended its power had disrupted his Zanpakuto before setting his sword aside.
• Aizen outmaneuvered Kuchiki Kyōka with a Kidō Bullet and a powerful close-range strike, badly injuring him.
• Kuchiki Kyōka struggled to stand despite his injuries as Yamabuki Chidori watched, certain Aizen had the advantage.