Steer For the Star

Ichigo and Ganju try to bluff their way clear by pressing Zangetsu to Hanataro's throat, but the Eleventh Division soldiers only sneer, noting they share no bond with a lowly Fourth Division member and even egging the pair on to kill him as a favor. As the troops charge, an unexpected blast levels part of the wall and clears the front ranks, and Ichigo cuts through the rest while Ganju hauls the terrified medic away.

The explosion proves to be Sado, who steps through the breach hunting for Ichigo and calmly warns a fresh knot of soldiers that he will finish them in two minutes. Meanwhile, at a Fourth Division infirmary, Mayuri Kurotsuchi browbeats the bandaged Ikkaku for intelligence, threatening the nurses and his own lieutenant Nemu until Kenpachi Zaraki arrives, seizes his wrist, and reminds him he has no right to punish another division's men.

Left alone with his captain, Ikkaku confesses the shame of surviving a defeat and describes his opponent as an orange-haired boy with a sword as tall as himself, bound for the white tower, which tells Kenpachi the intruder is after Rukia. Intrigued that the boy is still growing stronger, Kenpachi asks his name. Hidden in a storeroom, Ichigo and Ganju pore over a useless roadless map until Hanataro recognizes Rukia Kuchiki, sister of Captain Byakuya Kuchiki, and offers to lead them along a hidden route straight to her cell. The chapter was adapted in episode 29, Breakthrough! The Shinigami's Encompassing Net.