User blog comment:Xilinoc/Ch. 550 - Blazing Bullets/@comment-5551986-20130925170049

Toshiro probably used a shikai-ice clone. He's gotten much better with his shikai so it wouldn't be far fetched to say its a clone.

I do have a sneaking suspicion the Gotei are more or less gonna get stomped over in these following chapters. It's pretty obvious the Wandenreich has been watching them for freaking ages, if they were to just bust out of hiding and attack willy nilly without any guarantee they'd win it would be kinda silly. Seems like they all selected their opponents when they are going to fight.