Chapter Summaries

Yamabuki Chidori took the lost Byakuya in and began teaching him after reminding Kuchiki Ginrei of their old agreement. He brought Byakuya and Yoruichi to a river to catch fish, where Byakuya saw a natural stream for the first time.

• Yamabuki Chidori found Byakuya after he got lost playing hide-and-seek and promised to teach him Flash Step.
• Yamabuki Chidori brought Byakuya to Kuchiki Ginrei and invoked their agreement that he would train Ginrei’s grandson.
• Yamabuki Chidori took Byakuya home for half a month, where Byakuya tried and failed to catch Yoruichi.
• Yoruichi laughed when Byakuya asked why they had to catch fish instead of growing them in pots.
• Yamabuki Chidori led Byakuya and Yoruichi to a river in Rukongai so they could catch fish for dinner.

Byakuya began training under Yamabuki Chidori, first getting dragged into a muddy river and then soundly beaten by Yoruichi in a swordsmanship match. Yamabuki demonstrated the importance of speed and strength, then assigned Yoruichi to teach Byakuya Flash Step for a week.

• Yoruichi and Yamabuki Chidori pelted Byakuya with river mud until he joined in, and Unohana later sent the three to clean up after they forgot to catch fish.
• Byakuya challenged Yoruichi to a sword fight without Flash Step or Reiatsu, but she evaded his attacks and marked his face with red dye.
• Yamabuki Chidori sparred with Yoruichi to demonstrate how speed and strength could overwhelm technique, then struck her into the ground.
• Yamabuki Chidori appointed Yoruichi to teach Byakuya Flash Step, threatening consequences if she made no progress within a week.

Yoruichi prepared to succeed as captain of the 2nd Division and head of the Shihōin Clan, while Byakuya secured permission to observe a Hueco Mundo expedition. At her succession ceremony, Yoruichi noticed the clear, pure gaze of Hōgen Kōryō, and their eyes met.

• Kuchiki Ginrei asked Yamabuki Chidori to find Byakuya a suitable bride, and Chidori rejected his matchmaking plans.
• Byakuya asked to join a Hueco Mundo expedition, and Yamabuki Chidori arranged for him to accompany Yoruichi's 2nd Division in a logistics role.
• Yoruichi asked Yamabuki Chidori to attend her succession ceremony, and she told Byakuya to come as well.
• Yoruichi endured two hours of dressing and appeared at the ceremony in a twelve-layer kimono, maintaining a composed expression despite her irritation.
• Hōgen told his daughter, Hōgen Kōryō, to remember Yoruichi as the master their family would serve, and Yoruichi met the girl's gaze.

Yoruichi became Captain of the 2nd Division and led a Hueco Mundo subjugation mission, bringing Byakuya along for his first expedition. After the squad defeated a giant worm Hollow, several powerful Menos Grande watched them from afar.

• Hōgen renamed his young daughter Soi Fon, and Yamabuki Chidori brought her to the Gotei 13 with the Shinigami.
• The Captain Commander formally appointed Shihōin Yoruichi Captain of the 2nd Division, and Yoruichi asked Hōgen to handle logistics for her upcoming mission.
• Six days later, Yoruichi led the squad through the Soul Gate into Hueco Mundo, with Byakuya joining and receiving a Zanpakuto from her.
• A giant worm Hollow erupted from the desert and swallowed two squad members, but Yoruichi rescued them and Oomaeda Koshin led the squad in defeating it.
• Hōgen kept Byakuya back from the fight and explained Hollow ranks while several Adjuchas-class Menos Grande watched the squad from afar.

Yoruichi’s 2nd Division expedition into Hueco Mundo was ambushed by Hollows, and the Shinigami’s retreat turned into a desperate battle against three Adjuchas and their forces. As Hōgen fell protecting Byakuya, the wolf-shaped Menos Grande attacked him, leaving his fate uncertain.

• A bird-shaped Adjuchas led a group of Hollows in a plan to ambush the 2nd Division’s logistics team while other Hollows distracted the Shinigami.
• Yoruichi’s squad encountered a huge Hollow swarm, and Yoruichi swiftly destroyed the Gillian blocking their retreat.
• The bird-shaped Adjuchas engaged Yoruichi while two other Adjuchas and dozens of giant Menos Grande attacked the 2nd Division.
• Oomaeda Koshin fought an elephant-shaped Adjuchas while a wolf-shaped Menos Grande charged the logistics team and killed several Shinigami.
• Hōgen ordered Byakuya to hide, then fought the wolf-shaped Menos Grande and was impaled as Byakuya drew his Zanpakuto to face it.

After Hōgen died during the Hueco Mundo mission, Yamabuki Chidori took in his young daughter, Soi Fon, prompting Yoruichi to chase them down and argue over who should raise her. Soi Fon chose Yamabuki Chidori, who took her to a dessert shop.

• Yoruichi killed the remaining Hollows, and Hōgen died after asking her to look after his daughter.
• Yoruichi led the Shinigami onward, and Byakuya silently followed after witnessing the cost of their duty.
• Yamabuki Chidori learned Hōgen had died and went to his home, where he told Soi Fon the news and offered to raise her.
• Yoruichi arrived too late, mistook Yamabuki Chidori for a kidnapper, and attacked him before learning Soi Fon had chosen to go with him.
• Yamabuki Chidori took Soi Fon to a dessert shop, where the attendant offered to raise the little girl for a few days.

Yamabuki Chidori bought Soi Fon a cake and brought her home, where Unohana agreed to adopt her. Later, Yoruichi confessed how exhausted she felt as a captain, but Oomaeda Koshin interrupted their private moment with more work.

• Yamabuki Chidori bought Soi Fon an Apple Beef Pie, which she enjoyed, and then prepared dinner for her and Yoruichi.
• Unohana came home, learned Yamabuki Chidori wanted to adopt Hōgen's daughter, and agreed to make Soi Fon part of their family.
• Yoruichi ate Soi Fon's cake and persuaded Yamabuki Chidori to return to the shop for its Dragon Breath Pepper Durian Cake.
• Outside the shop in the rain, Yoruichi told Yamabuki Chidori that captaincy weighed on her and that she missed being carefree.
• Yoruichi bit and clawed at Yamabuki Chidori as she vented, until Oomaeda Koshin arrived and called her back to work.

Yamabuki Chidori comforted Yoruichi while Kuchiki Byakuya continued to struggle with the deaths he had witnessed in Hueco Mundo. Byakuya brought Kuchiki Sakurako to Yamabuki Chidori for training and explained that he wanted strength to protect those close to him.

• Yoruichi teased Yamabuki Chidori over a Dragon Breath Chili Durian Cake, then shared strawberry cake with Soi Fon.
• Kuchiki Byakuya trained relentlessly until Kuchiki Ginrei stopped him and urged him to recover at his own pace.
• Kuchiki Byakuya took Kuchiki Sakurako to Yamabuki Chidori’s home, where they found Yoruichi and Soi Fon waiting.
• Kisuke Urahara arrived to take Yoruichi back to her 2nd Division duties, and Yamabuki Chidori returned home as they left.
• Kuchiki Byakuya asked Yamabuki Chidori for stronger training and said he wanted to protect the people close to him.

Yamabuki Chidori trained Kuchiki Byakuya in Flash Step, and Byakuya rapidly improved through strenuous practice. Seven days later, Hane Hane Chiyo arrived at the training room with the newly appointed Kidō Corps Lieutenant Tekka Gekka.

• Yamabuki Chidori taught Kuchiki Byakuya Flash Blossom and made him train in heavy leg weights while Kuchiki Sakurako and Soi Fon watched.
• Byakuya struggled through his first training session, then discovered his speed had improved after removing the weights and resumed training with greater enthusiasm.
• Over the next several days, Byakuya's endurance and leg strength increased, and Yamabuki Chidori noted that his progress did not necessarily predict his ultimate potential.
• Seven days later, Byakuya chased Shihōin Yoruichi through the training room but ran out of stamina before catching her, and Yamabuki Chidori told him to keep practicing and strengthen his Reiatsu.
• Hane Hane Chiyo arrived with Tekka Gekka and introduced him as the newly appointed Lieutenant of the Kidō Corps.

Yamabuki Chidori tested Tekka Gekka’s Kidō before approving him as commander of the Kidō Corps, then demonstrated his overwhelming strength when Yoruichi, Hane Hane Chiyo, and Tekka Gekka tried to gang up on him. After he thrashed and restrained them, Soi Fon arrived and helped free Yoruichi.

• Hane Hane Chiyo resigned as commander of the Kidō Corps and nominated Tekka Gekka to take her place.
• Yamabuki Chidori tested Tekka Gekka’s Kidō, blocked his attacks with Splitting Void, and demonstrated Hadō #90, Black Coffin.
• Yoruichi persuaded Hane Hane Chiyo and Tekka Gekka to attack Yamabuki Chidori together, but he stopped Yoruichi’s punch and defeated all three.
• Yamabuki Chidori tied up the three attackers, and Hane Hane Chiyo and Yoruichi both begged him to spare them.
• Soi Fon arrived after the commotion woke her and her mother, and Yamabuki Chidori told her to untie the captives; she freed Yoruichi first.

Ten years after Soi Fon’s childhood, Yoruichi noticed her isolation at Shino Academy and took her away for an afternoon together, then tested her fighting skills. The visit ended with Yoruichi trapped at Yamabuki Chidori’s home and forced to face his intestine dish.

• Soi Fon left Hane Hane Chiyo tied up with Tekka Gekka and Kuchiki Byakuya, then ten years passed as she grew up and entered Shino Academy.
• Soi Fon struggled with loneliness at school, and Yoruichi appeared, ate her lunch, and invited her to spend the afternoon together.
• Yoruichi took Soi Fon to the Shihōin estate, fed her, cuddled with her, and helped her fall asleep for a long nap.
• Yoruichi sparred with Soi Fon, praised her speed and swordsmanship, and advised her to use poison to overcome her lack of strength.
• Yoruichi carried Soi Fon home, where Yamabuki Chidori made her stay for dinner and threatened to feed her Nine-Turn Intestine.

Yamabuki Chidori tricked Yoruichi into eating strange dishes and drinking powerful liquor, then arranged for her to spend the night with Soi Fon. The next day, Yoruichi discovered that Soi Fon had joined the 2nd Division and promptly handed her a stack of work before falling asleep.

• Yamabuki Chidori fed Yoruichi bizarre foods and challenged her to drink a bowl of ninety-six-percent Water of Life.
• Yoruichi became drunk, fell onto Yamabuki Chidori, and was sent to sleep in Soi Fon's room; after waking, she found the door locked and threatened to tease Soi Fon.
• Yamabuki Chidori peeked through a Wormhole and found Yoruichi had turned into a black cat and fallen asleep beside Soi Fon.
• Oomaeda Koshin carried the hungover Yoruichi back to the 2nd Division, where she met the new recruits and recognized Soi Fon among them.
• Yoruichi learned that Soi Fon had joined the 2nd Division early at her own request, then gave her a pile of paperwork and went to sleep.
• Soi Fon completed the easy tasks and set aside the documents she could not understand, planning to ask her father for help.

Yoruichi and Soi Fon finished their first day at work, then visited Yamabuki Chidori, where Aizen sought advice about researching Hollow and Quincy powers. Aizen revealed that he wanted to spar with his teacher, and Yamabuki Chidori took him into Hell for their battle.

• Soi Fon stopped Kisuke Urahara from disturbing Yoruichi's nap and agreed to pass along his invitation to go out after work.
• Yoruichi woke, took the hangover medicine Soi Fon had prepared, and went with her to Yamabuki Chidori's home for dinner.
• Aizen visited Yamabuki Chidori and asked for advice on finding Quincy subjects for his research; Yamabuki Chidori told him to wait and warned him against killing Quincies in peacetime.
• Aizen asked Yamabuki Chidori to spar, and Yamabuki Chidori opened Hell Gate to give them a place to fight.
• Aizen released Kyōka Suigetsu and believed he had influenced Yamabuki Chidori, but Yamabuki Chidori revealed that he had tricked him and unleashed Ryūjin Jakka's flames across Hell.

Yamabuki Chidori overwhelmed Aizen in a spar in Hell, forcing him to surrender after demonstrating his mastery of multiple powers. Back home, Chidori helped Soi Fon clear Yoruichi’s neglected paperwork, then prepared to punish Yoruichi for leaving the work to her.

• Yamabuki Chidori used Ryūjin Jakka and other attacks to overwhelm Aizen, who finally surrendered after blocking one strike with Blut Vene.
• Yamabuki Chidori and Aizen left Hell, where the scattered spirits, including Kuroto, slowly began to recover.
• Soi Fon brought Yamabuki Chidori a large backlog of paperwork, and he helped her work through it until one in the morning.
• Soi Fon completed the remaining documents overnight, refused Kisuke Urahara’s request to handle his work, and welcomed Yoruichi’s breakfast meatballs.
• Yoruichi discovered that Soi Fon had cleared her month of paperwork and went to Yamabuki Chidori’s office to enjoy her free time.
• Yamabuki Chidori addressed Yoruichi by her full name, making her realize that he had caught her after she caused trouble.

Yoruichi recruited Kisuke Urahara and Byakuya to help her get revenge on Yamabuki Chidori after he swung her around by the tail and hurled her away. The trio agreed to ambush him, and Yoruichi challenged him while he napped, leaving him surprised by her sudden demand for a fair fight.

• Yamabuki Chidori punished Yoruichi for making Soi Fon handle her paperwork by swinging her around by the tail and throwing her into the sky.
• Yoruichi returned to the 2nd Division, took the paperwork from Soi Fon, and enlisted Kisuke Urahara to help her retaliate against Yamabuki Chidori.
• Yoruichi and Kisuke Urahara kidnapped Byakuya and persuaded him to join their plan to challenge Yamabuki Chidori.
• The three agreed to prepare traps and ambush Yamabuki Chidori rather than confront him directly.
• Yoruichi threw a hidden weapon through Yamabuki Chidori's window as he napped and challenged him to fight her fairly.

Yamabuki Chidori accepted Yoruichi’s challenge to a race, then faced Yoruichi, Kisuke Urahara, and Kuchiki Byakuya in a series of attacks that failed to harm him. After Yoruichi ambushed him and Yamabuki Chidori drew Silver Radiant Angel, his killing intent overwhelmed the forest, leaving the others in danger.

• Yoruichi challenged Yamabuki Chidori to a race, but he used his Wormhole Ability and superior speed to reach Kisuke Urahara’s forest trap first.
• Yamabuki Chidori walked through Urahara’s Reishi Formation trap unharmed, then resisted the Sealing Technique that Yoruichi and Urahara used to imprison him.
• Kisuke Urahara and Yoruichi attacked Yamabuki Chidori, and Kuchiki Byakuya joined them with Senbonzakura and Kidō, but none of their attacks injured him.
• Yamabuki Chidori reprimanded Byakuya and Urahara, but Yoruichi caught him off guard with a back throw and planted his head in the dirt.
• Yamabuki Chidori drew Silver Radiant Angel, and his killing intent made Yoruichi and Kisuke Urahara realize they could not face him head-on.

Yamabuki Chidori defeated Yoruichi, Byakuya, and Kisuke Urahara, then learned Sealing Techniques and developed a space-time sealing art. Soi Fon discovered a secret room of manga in their home, but Yamabuki Chidori convinced her that the discovery was an illusion.

• Yamabuki Chidori defeated Yoruichi and Byakuya, while Kisuke Urahara surrendered to avoid a beating.
• Yamabuki Chidori made Kisuke Urahara agree to teach her Sealing Techniques, then left Byakuya behind in the wilderness.
• Yoruichi woke after three days and saw Yamabuki Chidori demonstrate a new Space-Time Sealing Art that could make a limb vanish without pain or bleeding.
• Yamabuki Chidori restored Yoruichi's hand, healed her injuries, and asked her to keep the technique secret and contact her if war broke out.
• Soi Fon triggered a hidden door while cleaning the underground training ground and discovered a secret room filled with manga, including her father's work.
• Yamabuki Chidori used Kyōka Suigetsu to make Soi Fon believe that everything she had seen was an illusion.

Soi Fon discovered Yamabuki Chidori’s secret collection of adult comics and shared the secret with him. On her first mission with Yoruichi, she was injured by a Menos Grande but rescued, while Yoruichi paid a farmer for the crops they destroyed.

• Yamabuki Chidori showed Soi Fon his expanded secret room of adult comics and told her to keep it hidden from her mother.
• Yoruichi took Soi Fon on a mission to find and purify a Menos Grande in Rukongai.
• Soi Fon released Suzumebachi and tried to strike the Menos Grande, but it evaded her and Yoruichi cut off its tail.
• The severed tail regenerated into a duplicate Menos Grande that bound Soi Fon and fractured her leg.
• Yoruichi defeated both Menos Grande, carried the injured Soi Fon, and paid a farmer generously for the destroyed crops.

Yoruichi brought the injured Soi Fon home, where Yamabuki Chidori healed her and let her stay. Meanwhile, Shikkōgai Musashi sought retirement and Aikawa Ramu was set to replace him, but Yamabuki Chidori’s own retirement request remained unapproved as he confronted the Captain Commander.

• Yoruichi explained to Soi Fon why she had compensated a farmer, then took her to the Shihōin home instead of the Fourth Division to hide her injury.
• Yoruichi delivered Soi Fon’s letter to Yamabuki Chidori, who guessed she had been hurt and went with Yoruichi to check on her.
• Yamabuki Chidori healed Soi Fon’s ankle and allowed her to stay with Yoruichi, then revealed that Shikkōgai Musashi had applied to retire and Aikawa Ramu would succeed him.
• Shikkōgai Musashi visited Yamabuki Chidori, who agreed to support his retirement despite lamenting that his own applications never got approved.
• Yamabuki Chidori took Shikkōgai Musashi’s paperwork to the Captain Commander, who noticed Yamabuki Chidori’s name on the application and challenged his wish to retire.
• Yamabuki Chidori argued that retirement meant enjoying life while others worked, then threatened the Captain Commander when he refused to approve it.

Yamabuki Chidori helped replace the old Gotei 13 captains and recruited Hachigen Ushōda, then fifty years later met the blind Kaname Tōsen after rescuing him from a bully. Yamabuki Chidori introduced himself as a Soul Reaper and offered to take Tōsen home.

• The Captain Commander approved Shikkōgai Musashi's paperwork, and Aikawa Ramu came to the First Division for his captaincy assessment.
• Yamabuki Chidori abandoned the idea of a test for Aikawa Ramu and recruited Hachigen Ushōda into the Visored Army.
• Fifty years later, Kyouka told Kaname Tōsen she had passed the Soul Reaper selection and would begin studying at Shino Academy.
• A bully broke Tōsen's wrist and mocked him, but Yamabuki Chidori intervened, defeated the bully, and healed Tōsen with Kidō.
• Yamabuki Chidori introduced himself to Tōsen and offered to take him home.