Foe or Friend?! Ginjō's Unseen Heart!

 is the three hundred and fifty-sixth episode of the Bleach anime.

Ichigo continues his training with Kūgo, resulting in him completing his Fullbring.

Summary
At the Urahara Shop, Isshin Kurosaki and Kisuke Urahara discuss their plans. Urahara persists with Isshin, demanding to know if he is sure about going through with them as a father can ruin his child's chances. With a cylinder glowing with Reiatsu between them, Isshin asserts that he has made his mind up, telling Urahara to stop asking him over and over.

Urahara sighs, looking down, realizing that Isshin is right, they shouldn't delay any longer and that it is time they move on to their next phase. A Shinigami arrives on the scene from a Senkaimon and Urahara informs them to place their Reiatsu into the cylinder and the process is complete. The Shinigami agrees without hesitation and it is revealed to be Rukia Kuchiki, revealed to now be a Lieutenant.

Back in Yukio Hans Vorarlberna's Internal Pocket Dimension, Ichigo Kurosaki loses a life as he continues to battle Kūgo Ginjō. Ichigo observes that Kūgo wields his large sword as if it weighed nothing at all. Kūgo uses his blade to slice across Ichigo's abdomen and he loses another life. Determined, Ichigo uses Bringer Light to get behind Kūgo but the leader of Xcution manages to dodge his attack and swing in for one of his own. When Ichigo uses his sword to block, Kūgo commends his growing talents with Fullbring. However, he breaks Ichigo's sword, slicing his chest and informs he he has a long way to go.

Yukio contacts Kūgo and explains to him that a visitor has arrived and that he is letting her in. He permits Orihime Inoue to arrive in the game world and when she does so, she looks around confused by the area. Upon seeing her, Kūgo sarcastically remarks that the games "healing item" has arrived. The comment is lost on Orihime who asks Kūgo how he is, stuttering to introduce herself. Kūgo tells her to skip the greetings and just heal Ichigo, who is on the ground grieviously wounded.

Upon seeing the state of Ichigo, Orihime calls out to him and runs over to him as she summons her Sōten Kisshun to heal him. Ichigo looks surprised to see her for a moment before coming to the conclusion that she must have been brought to Xcution by Yasutora Sado. Just then, Sado also appears in the area and confirms Ichigo's theory. Sado admits that he knew Ichigo didn't want to get Orihime involved but he asserts that from this point onward, he is going to need her aid.

Kūgo turns to Sado to say something but the teen cuts him off insisting that he knows what he is going to say. He maintains that he had Yukio make a separate room so that he can train. He explains that if they are going to have to fight Shūkurō Tsukishima he needs to get stronger so he can't be seen to be doing nothing. A green door appears next to him and Kūgo gives him his blessing as he passes through it agreeing that he will do what he needs to do, closing the door behind him.

On the other side of the door, Sado reflects on their previous encounter with Tsukishima. After Yukio captured Ichigo, he told Tsukishima that they were leaving and taking Ichigo with them. In response, Tsukishima appeared next to Sado and sliced through part of his upper body from his right shoulder. Sado was too stunned to respond and yet as he touches his right shoulder, there is no wound, confusing him since he is sure he had been slashed. Sado laments that nobody even mentioned or commented on the fact that he had been cut by Tsukishima.

Despite his memories, the lack of wound and the fact that he can't feel any pain now makes him feel like, given the evidence, even he would question whether or not he was cut even though he distinctly remembers it happening. He reflects on Tsukishima and decides that Orihime was correct in that his powers are somehow inexplicable. He decides that even though, at present, he doe not know what exactly Tsukishima did to him with his blade, the only way he can face him in battle is to get stronger. The room turns into a digital desert and he advances into it, ready to train.

As Orihime continues to heal Ichigo, his health icons begin to regenerate in the game. Kūgo becomes impatient and demands to know what is taking so long and why Ichigo is not healed yet. Orihime looks over her shoulder and politely requests that Kūgo wait a little while longer while she completes her task. Kūgo insists that he cannot wait any longer and asserts that Ichigo is alright now, looking to him for confirmation. Ichigo gets to his feet unsteadily but agrees with Kūgo much to Orihime's chargin and she still maintains she is not finished.

Despite her concerns, Kūgo moves in to attack and continue their sparring session and Orihime warns him not to. Despite this, he continues to advance so she raises her shield. Kūgo is unfazed and mockingly asks if she really thinks she can block his attack using Santen Kesshun however Orihime calmly informs him that he is wrong. Ichigo is also worried about the attack but when Kūgo's sword connects with the shield it absorbs the blow before a reaction occurs and Kūgo is blasted along the right shoulder by an energy beam from the shield.

An injured Kūgo flips back as Orihime advises him that the technique she had used was called Shiten Kōshun. She explains that the shield diffuses an attack upon impact by exploding the moment it is hit. At the same time, the shield automatically responds with a reactive attack of its own. Kūgo stands up clutching his shoulder and comments on her "detonation shield", referring to it as nasty but Orihime firmly replies that he can call it that if he wishes to. She maintains that if he doesnt want to get hurt then he should not attack when she tells him not to.

A stunned Ichigo asks Orihime when she developed her powers so far. Orihime looks at him with a rueful smile as she remindsh im that it has been seventeen months since his lost his Shinigami]] powers. She elaborates that both she and Sado had faith that one day Ichigo would get his powers back. They made the decision that when that time came for Ichigo to fight, they would not be a burden to him. Ichigo looks stunned as she lowers her healing shield but she tells him not to worry about her or about Sado and just to focus on getting his powers back.

Orihime then uses her powers to heal the wound on Kūgo's shoulder created by her shields attack. Ichigo accepts Orihime's advice, walking passed her whilst thanking her for her support. When he passes by Orihime watches him and a small, cautious smile appears on her face. It is clear she is very concerned about him, despite her words. He approaches Kūgo and challenges him to continue their sparing match. Kūgo stare remains hard like granite before he nods his simple agreement.

In Xcution headquarters, Yukio sits alone over his game console where the others are held. He looks up and sees that it is two minutes until midnight so turns back to the screen and selects options to fastforward it. Inside, Ichigo and Kūgo continue their match, with Ichigo coming in close to Kūgo, judging that the reach of his sword makes close fighting difficult. Kūgo realizes this and grabs the handle above the hilt to spin the sword more closely than usual causing Ichigo to retreat.

Kūgo commends Ichigo for his initiative but insists that the handle just before his main blade is there for the simple reason of compensating for the shortcomings created by the overly long reach of his blade. Ichigo is unfazed by Kūgo's attack and correction despite that blood is spilling down his right leg from the attack. Eager, Ichigo moves in and attacks Kūgo again, continuing to clash several times. Mentally, Kūgo analyzes Ichigo's improved efficiency since Orihime healed him and deduces that he was right to bring Orihime into the area.

As Kūgo remains apprehensive about Orihime's presence, she sits nearly, awkwardly on the ground as she intently watches their clash, her face unsmiling. To her left, Riruka Dokugamine is let in to the digital training room. Carrying a box of doughnuts, she agressively demands to know why Orihime is sitting so oddly on the ground. Orihime gets up and asserts that there was nothing to sit on so it was as good a place as any to sit and observe the battle.

Disconcerted, Riruka looks up and calls out to Yukio demanding that he make a table to sit on so that she can eat her snack in the room. Orihime is shocked that he can do this. Yukio's face appears above them and he immediately declines Riruka's demand. Orihime runs over and politely asks that he also make a table and chair for her. Yukio stares at her for a long moment before agreeing to her request. Riruka gets annoyed by this but Yukio informs her that she should learn to ask for things nicely like Orihime advising to use this opportunaity to learn from her.

When the table appears, Riruka places the box upon it and takes a seat. As she is about to eat a doughnut she notices that Orihime is staring at the dougnut as she hungrily salvinates. Riruka tells her she can't have any but Orihime's expression finally causes her to lament and give her one telling her not to eat it so fast. However, Orihime loves the taste and scoffs hers fast. When Riruka goes to deny her another one, Orihime's expression again causes her to allow her access.

Riruka sits back in her chair, commenting on how audacious she thinks Orihime is, wondering what her parents are like. Orihime cheerfully informs her that she would also like to know what her parents are like. Shocked, Riruka asks if she doesn't have any parents and Orihime confirms this, asserting that they were apparently really abusive and her brother stole her away to protect her. Riruka asks if her brother is her guardian, but Orihime affirms his death and that a distant aunt pays her expenses as long as her grades are but she's grateful.

Riruka stares deteminedly at the table as Orihime speak before slamming her hands upon it, causing Orihime to quieten in shock. Riruka stands up and walks away asserting that Orihime is boring her with the stories of her life. When Orihime expresses her confusion over Riruka's reaction, Riruka turns back to her, with her hands on her hips, and angrily demands to know how Orihime can speak about such sad things in her life with a large smile on her face. She insist that there must be something wrong with Orihime.

Orihime disagrees with Riruka's statement. She goes on to explain that since she has already been saved by Ichigo, she feels free to talk about anything in a carefree way regardless of her past. Riruka watches her for a moment before brushing off her explanation, insisting that was not what she was talking about. She also makes up an excuse that she wasn't even listening to Orihime's stories making the red-head feel suddenly stupid and she apologizes for misunderstanding.

When Riruka continues to walk away, Orihime calls out to her, asking why she is really leaving when there are so many doughnuts left. Riruka rejects her offer to stay, maintaining that she is tired of eating them and informs Orihime that she can finish them if she wants. Orihime gleefully thanks Riruka for her generosity and informs the pink-haired Fullbringer that she is a very nice person. Her words cause Riruka to pause, looking downward in a sombre fashion before she murmurs that Orihime is an idiot.

As Ichigo continues to fight against Kūgo, he senses some strange things. He can't sense anything from Kūgo's sword when they clash, nothing at all. Yet it feels different to what he felt during his battle against Gin Ichimaru as, in hindsight, he realized his opponents attention had been elsewhere given his true aims. Kūgo is looking right at him and yet, to Ichigo, it feels like there is a lid on his emotions, concealing them from Ichigo completely. He reflects that during his battle against Tsukishima, he was able to feel his killing intent all over his body from a mere glance as he had barely looked at him

As they clash, Ichigo wonders if it is because Fullbring is an unfamiliar power to him as he is used to Shinigami abilities. He also considers if the reason he can't judge his opponents emotions is because he does not fully trust Kūgo yet. Kūgo pushes Ichigo back and admonishes him for being distracted. He reminds Ichigo that it is supposed to be a battle and decides he will have to forcefully remind him of that. He disappears from Ichigo's sight before slashing him across his eyes. For a moment, Ichigo stands stunned before stumbling blindly, gripping his injured eyes.

Upon seeing this, a frantic Orihime gets up from her seat and rushes towards her friend. However, Kūgo puts up his large sword which blocks her path, forcing her to stop and look at him. He reminds Orihime that she wants Ichigo to become stronger and thus, for that reason, she should stay back and watch the development from where she is. Kūgo maintains that in losing his Shinigami abilities for so long, Ichigo also lost much of his resolve for battle. He tells Ichigo to hold on and that he will bring him fully back to the battlefield.

Falling to his kness, his eyes bleeding, Ichigo calls out to Kūgo and demands to know what he is doing in attacking him like that. In response, Kūgo kicks Ichigo away from him and tells him to stop whining as it is irritating him. Ichigo tries to sit up asking Kūgo if he is really on his side like he said he was. Kūgo reminds him of their goals in regaining his Shinigami abilities with learning Fullbring as an initial step. Ichigo explains that he is having trouble believing that Kūgo is his ally after his attack.

Kūgo demands to know what he is talking about since if Ichigo never trusted him then why even agree to his proposal in the first place. He asks did he think he could escape them if they suddenly turned against him. He insists that the reality of the situation, especially now he's lost his sight is that Ichigo is quite helpless. He calls Ichigo a fool, insisting that it was over for him the minute he stepped on a battlefield with him. Kūgo rushes forward and punches Ichigo, who doesn't react to defend himself, across the face, forcing him to the ground.

From behind Kūgo, Orihime tries to outflank him but Kūgo calls out to Yukio, who creates a digital cage to trap her inside. Orihime runs into the bars and cries out in pain. Unseeing, Ichigo calls out to her and asks her what is wrong. Kūgo loudly wonders what happened and tell Ichigo to try and see for himself. Enraged, Ichigo uses Bringer Light to launch himself towards the sound of Kūgo's voice. Kūgo easily parries the attack and kicks Ichigo away from himself. Kūgo states it is useless if that's all he's got while Orihime cries out his name from inside her cage.

Panicked and trying to help, Orihime goes to use Koten Zanshun on Kūgo but from above her, Yukio tells her not to bother. He explains that her voice will not even penetrate the cage and that no matter what she tries, its bars are unbreakable. He tells her to look into the corner of the cage and there she sees a large circle-backslash symbol which he states is proof that she cannot break or go through that cage as it is a rule of the game. On the screen, Orihime tries to speak to him but Yukio apologizes and informs her that he cannot hear what she is saying.

Ichigo manages to struggle to his feet before sensing Kūgo approach him before blocking some of his attacks and evading others using Bringer Light. Kūgo states that he is dodging better than he expected him to and Ichigo insists he is able to sense his sound and presence. Kūgo mocks this before stabbing Ichigo in the shoulder. He asks what is wrong since Ichigo said he could evade his attacks. Kūgo becomes angry and declares that he has been going easy on Ichigo and he wouldn't be able to really dodge him like that.

Kūgo berates Ichigo for thinking that he was evaing his attacks of his own power. He knocks Ichigo to the ground and stabs him throug the abdomen with his broad sword, declaring the fight to be over. He turns and walks away from the criticaly injured Ichigo and maintains that he is going to go kill Sado and Orihime. Kūgo predicts that Ichigo saw this coming the moment he realized that they were not actully on the same side and tells him not to worry since he is going to kill him too.

As Kūgo is speaking, a struggling Ichigo tries to get up and remove the massive sword from his gut. He laments that he cannot speak, and cannot see Kūgo. He mentally calls out for Kūgo to wait and to stop what he is doing and suddenly he begins to see a blue light the same shape as Kūgo in the blackness of his vision. He wonders how he can see Kūgo but then realizes that he is seeing his Reiatsu. Suddenly ribbons of bright Reitaus begin to explode from Ichigo's wound and wrap themselves around him and, crying out, he moves to attack Kūgo.

Kūgo raises his hand and blocks the attack and a massive explosion of Reiatsu occurs around them. As the dust clears, Kūgo declares that Ichigo's Fullbring powers have now completed and comgratulates him. He reveals that it had to be done in front of him so that he could suppress the explosion caused by its completion which could only be contained by someone willing to put their life on the line. Turning away he apologizes for seemingly betraying Ichigo, stating that he was a cheesey while playing he role as villain. He formally welcomes Ichigo to his group of Fullbringers, Xcution.

Xcution Dictionary
As Chad was walking along in his training room, a large block suddenly falls in front of him. Chad then realizes that he is in a Tetris-like game and starts arranging the blocks that come falling down on him. Chad manages to successfully arrange the blocks in order and states that he needs one more piece to complete the arrangement. But Yukio then says that it wouldn't be easy and a ball suddenly drops on Chad. Chad manages to catch the ball, but asks why Yukio did this. Unable to hold it any longer, the ball flattens over Chad with Yukio saying that it's too bad and that he has to start over, with the words 'Game Over' flashing on the screen.

Characters in Order of Appearance

 * 1) Isshin Kurosaki
 * 2) Kisuke Urahara
 * 3) Rukia Kuchiki
 * 4) Ichigo Kurosaki
 * 5) Kūgo Ginjō
 * 6) Orihime Inoue
 * 7) Yasutora Sado
 * 8) Shūkurō Tsukishima (flashback)
 * 9) Yukio Hans Vorarlberna
 * 10) Riruka Dokugamine
 * 11) Gin Ichimaru (flashback)

Fights

 * Fullbring Training, Round 3

Powers and Techniques Used
Techniques used:

Zanpakutō released:

Bankai:
 * (flashback)

Fullbring used:
 * Ichigo Kurosaki's unnamed Fullbring
 * (flashback)
 * (flashback)
 * (flashback)
 * (flashback)

Other powers:

Equipment used:
 * (flashback)