Remnant 2 [Deny the Shadow]

Facing Byakuya on the bridge, Ichigo cuts off Rukia before she can beg him to quit, flatly informing her that she is leaving with him no matter what she wants and that he will hear no arguments from the person being rescued. Their bickering ends with a reluctant smile from Rukia, who admits he has not changed and never listens to her; Ichigo tells her to stop fretting over him and worry about herself, promising he is stronger now and will not be killed. Watching, Ukitake asks who this intruder is, and Byakuya dismisses him as a nobody unrelated to the man Ukitake has in mind.

As Byakuya advances to end the intrusion, Ichigo needles him for holding off while the two were talking. The captain floods the area with spiritual pressure that forces Rukia to her knees, then remarks that Ichigo has indeed improved if he can stand unshaken within it. Puzzled by how the boy recovered his powers, Byakuya calls it foolish to throw away the life he was once spared, but Ichigo answers that he intends to go home after winning and draws his sword.

Byakuya vanishes with a flash step and strikes from behind, only for Ichigo to catch the thrust at the last instant, grin, and tell him he can see the movement before shoving him back. Impressed, Byakuya vows to show the gulf between them before Ichigo's new strength goes to his head, insisting the intruder could not defeat him in a thousand years. He begins to release Senbonzakura as Rukia screams for Ichigo to run, but Yoruichi flashes in and wraps the entire blade in cloth before the release can complete, leaving everyone present astonished.

Ichigo overrides Rukia's objections and reaffirms he will save her regardless. Byakuya unleashes captain-level spiritual pressure and tests Ichigo, who withstands it. Using a flash step and a surprise strike, Byakuya finds Ichigo now fast enough to intercept and repel him. As Byakuya moves to release Senbonzakura, Yoruichi intervenes and binds the sword.

Part of the fourteenth volume, the chapter was adapted into the anime episodes Reunion, Ichigo and Rukia and Flash Goddess Yoruichi, Dances!. Viz Media titled it Remnant 2 (Deny the Shadow). It measures Ichigo's growth against Byakuya and sets up Yoruichi's confrontation with the noble captain in the Soul Society arc.