The Revenging Assassin, Ichigo is Targeted

Inside the Kasumiōji estate, the manipulative Gyōkaku Kumoi keeps young Shū Kannogi penned in as the clan's figurehead, leaving the boy feeling like a prisoner who can only wonder whether he was right to assume leadership while Rurichiyo remains missing. Kumoi then meets Hanza Nukui, scolding him for failing to kill Ichigo yet conceding that the Substitute proved far tougher than expected. To earn a second chance, Hanza fuses himself irreversibly to his Bakkōtō Saiga, a bond that bleeds away much of his spirit energy, and requests matching weapons for his three underlings, Genga, Jinnai Dōko, and Kuzuryū. Warned that the blades feed on their wielders' lives, none of the three hesitate, and Kumoi grants the request.

In Karakura Town, Kenryū and Enryū report that they have raised an invisibility barrier over the house, a measure Ichigo and Uryū both call excessive and likely to draw attention. The group puzzles over the strange swords, noting that unlike a Zanpakutō, these weapons drain their owner's power to grow and can pass between wielders. Rukia adds that Yoruichi has traveled to Soul Society to dig up answers. Slipping away to the roof rather than to bed, Rurichiyo is joined by Ichigo, and their quiet talk reveals a softer, less spoiled side of the princess, who treasures her two guardians above all.

A Senkaimon tears open and the assassins spill into town. Hanza claims Ichigo for himself while assigning the others to his friends, insisting the rematch is his alone after Ichigo cracked Saiga's mirror before. He shatters the barrier around the home, and Ichigo, refusing help from Rukia or Rurichiyo, leads Hanza away to fight clear of bystanders. Orihime senses the gathering pressures and moves to assist. As Jinnai closes on Rukia, Kuzuryū on Uryū, and Genga on Sado, Ichigo squares off with Hanza in the sky and begins to call out his Bankai.

Hanza fuses himself permanently to Saiga, sacrificing spirit energy to prove his commitment. Kumoi arms Genga, Jinnai, and Kuzuryū with additional Bakkōtō. The assassins reach Karakura Town through a Senkaimon and pair off against Ichigo's allies. Hanza smashes the concealment barrier over the safehouse, forcing Rurichiyo to accept that the intruders mean to kill her. Ichigo and Hanza withdraw to the sky for their rematch, where Ichigo begins releasing his Bankai.

The installment is an anime-original entry from the Kasumiōji Conspiracy storyline, credited on screen as the New Captain Shūsuke Amagai arc, and adapts no manga chapters. A side Arrancar Encyclopedia segment features Gin Ichimaru describing Las Noches and brushing off Szayelaporro Granz's offer of a tour. Bakkōtō shown include Genga's Kakuyoku and Hanza's Saiga, while Orihime's Shun Shun Rikka techniques appear in flashback.