Hitsugaya's Decision! The Clash Approaches

 is the ninety-fourth episode of the Bleach anime.

Jin Kariya recruits men from Kusajishi while Ichigo Kurosaki and his friends continue their search for the Bount.

Summary
In the Senzaikyū pavilion, several of the buildings surrounding the main tower are leveled by large explosions occurring near their midsections, causing them to crumble in large clouds of dust and debris. After the explosions stop and the wreckage settles, 13th Division Captain Jūshirō Ukitake stands with 1st Division Lieutenant Chōjirō Sasakibe and 10th Division Captain Tōshirō Hitsugaya alongside several other Shinigami as he wonders whose handiwork this was.

With Ukitake noting that he never thought someone would plant a bomb inside the Shishinrō, Captain-Commander Genryūsai Shigekuni Yamamoto appears and asserts that this is a declaration of war since the Shishinrō is made of Sekkiseki and cannot be damaged by spiritual attacks, though he admits that he never thought the Bount would take the time to plan out and enact something so tedious. After observing that he senses immense spite from this act, Yamamoto orders that more people be added to the investigative team searching for the Bount.

Having affirmed Yamamoto's declaration that they must pinpoint where the Bount are hiding, Hitsugaya runs down a street in the Seireitei, where he is joined by his lieutenant, Rangiku Matsumoto, and confirms her inquiry about the Bount being behind this by claiming that they succeeded in attacking the Gotei 13 because he failed, only for Rangiku to suggest that they strike back as the two of them depart with Shunpo. Meanwhile, at the Kuchiki Manor, Captain Byakuya Kuchiki watches over Rukia Kuchiki as the Fourth Division tends to her injuries before silently leaving and approaching the room where Ichigo Kurosaki, Orihime Inoue, and Ririn are staying.

Upon seeing Byakuya, Ichigo gets to his feet and frantically inquires about Rukia's condition. After initially ignoring Ichigo's inquiry, to the latter's irritation, Byakuya explains that Rukia's wounds are deep even though her life is not in danger and concludes that he will be letting her rest here until she recovers, to Ichigo and Orihime's relief. Suddenly, Kurōdo pops up from behind Orihime's head and details how this was possible due to Byakuya strongly wishing to save his sister, which means he should be proud of such wonderful sibling love, and Ririn praises Byakuya's performance while Ichigo grows somber and reveals that he wants Byakuya to help him, to the latter's surprise.

Ichigo explains that the Bount targeted Rukia because her wounds were not fully healed simply to distract Ichigo and his friends, which he cannot forgive, but when asked if he does not feel the same way, Byakuya refuses to help Ichigo, leaving Ririn aghast as Ichigo angrily questions if Byakuya will tolerate the Bount rampaging through Soul Society. However, Byakuya calmly states that there is no reason to ally with Ichigo when the Gotei 13 are already on the move, further angering the latter, and instructs him to return to the Human World, only for Ichigo to realize that Byakuya still considers him an enemy on some level for his actions during the Ryoka Invasion.

With Ichigo calming down and departing as he states that he is leaving Rukia to Byakuya, a startled Orihime requests that Byakuya look after Rukia and follows Ichigo alongside Ririn, who protests this sudden change of plans. Elsewhere, in the Kusajishi district of the Rukongai, Mitsuru Ishino and Taichi Miyamoto grin as they watch the courtesans in a crowded gambling hall, but are surprised alongside the other occupants of the room when Jin Kariya opens the front door and enters. Walking past the giggling courtesans and intimidated players, Kariya approaches a smiling Tōba, who is flanked by two more courtesans, and asks if he can join the game they are betting on.

When Tōba inquires about what he will be betting, Kariya withdraws a knife from his pocket and embeds it in a nearby table with a throw. After pausing in astonishment for a few seconds, the players at the table begin laughing uproariously, and as Tōba mocks Kariya as being naïve for betting his life when he is no longer in the Human World, Kariya counters that the pain should be the same regardless, causing the players to stop laughing while one of them expresses interest in gambling against Kariya despite another warning him against it and promises to break his nose. Some time later, Kariya places a card on the table and observes that he has won, shocking those watching.

Realizing that this means he will be killed as he looks at the knife, the man that Kariya was playing against nervously claims that Kariya must be cheating, which leads Kariya to question if he is afraid despite being a resident of Kusajishi and renowned as the worst of the worst while getting to his feet and looming over the man. Upon being attacked by the man with the knife in the table, Kariya casually grabs the blade between his fingers, stopping the man in his tracks, and grins as he wondering if this is the most strength that the man can put behind the attack before flinging the man across the room into the far wall, leading Taichi and Ishino to look at each other and leave.

With Kariya turning to him and asking if he is the next opponent, the other man demands to know what Kariya did to the first one. Suddenly, Gō Koga warns him to stop since Kariya is not someone he can take on and ducks through the entrance to the room. As Kariya admits that he simply thought he could play a little, Koga requests that Maki Ichinose help him stop Kariya, and when Ichinose walks into view next to Koga, the man expresses bewilderment at a Shinigami from the Seireitei being here, which prompts Ichinose to attempt to clarify that he is no longer a Shinigami. However, the man refuses to believe this and a third suggests that the villagers all attack the three of them at once.

When the crowd rushes forward, Ichinose sends three of the men flying with a backswing of his fist while Koga throws a spear-wielding villager into a second villager whose mace he lets shatter harmlessly on his body before knocking a third kusarigama-wielding villager back with a blow from his clasped fists. Upon being attacked by villagers with long poles and wooden swords, Ichinose effortlessly outmaneuvers them with Shunpo as Kariya blows several more out of the building with a gust of wind, resulting in two of them fleeing in terror. With everyone in the building defeated or cowering in fear, Kariya promises Koga that he will be more careful next time when the latter tells him to be discreet.

While Koga reminds him that they will be found immediately if they keep getting into altercations like this no matter how big the Rukongai is, Kariya welcomes the idea of this, to Koga's chagrin, and approaches a frightened Tōba, who questions what he is and why he came here. In response, Kariya asserts that they have just come for some fun and offers to let Tōba play with them before revealing that they are going to turn Soul Society upside down, shocking the men lying on the floor behind them as a stunned Tōba realizes they are the Ryoka. Meanwhile, in different parts of the Rukongai, the Shinigami continue searching for the Ryoka and ask the villagers about what they have seen, only to come up empty-handed and return home.

Watching this from the window of the captain's office in the Eleventh Division compound, Lieutenant Yachiru Kusajishi tells her captain, Kenpachi Zaraki, that their subordinates are rushing around out there and giggles at one of them falling over while wondering if 3rd Seat Ikkaku Madarame and 5th Seat Yumichika Ayasegawa are doing their best. Upon being reminded by Yachiru that this is a race to see who can track down the Bount first, Kenpachi gets up and begins walking out of the room, only to inform Yachiru that she is going to the bathroom when she inquires if he will be racing too. However, Yachiru leaps onto Kenpachi's shoulder and questions if this is all he is doing.

Kenpachi asks Yachiru if she is bored, and with him expressing confusion at her clarification of actually being relieved, Yachiru explains that Ichinose being with the Bount means that Kenpachi would not have fun fighting him now, though Kenpachi states that this does not matter since he has shown how weak he is by working for them, leading Yachiru to conclude that she does not care if he does not care while Kenpachi departs. Later in the day, with the sun beginning to set outside Kūkaku Shiba's house, an exhausted Ichigo and Orihime finally reach the house and sit down on the stairs past the front door while lamenting how they do not have any leads or clues even after walking around so much.

When Orihime wonders why the Bount would break into the Seireitei just to destroy the Shishinrō, Ichigo theorizes that they wanted all of Soul Society to know that they have come here. Despite Ririn ridiculing the Bount putting in so much effort just to announce a crime, Ichigo counters that they came to Soul Society for revenge and that it would be a problem for them if no one noticed. With Kurōdo asserting that they never knew what the Bount were thinking to begin with and that the latter seem to be enjoying their crimes, Yasutora Sado steps through the doorway with Noba and apologizes for not being able to reach Rukia in time, only for Ichigo to admit he could not either.

After Ichigo informs Sado that Byakuya was the one to save her and that Rukia is currently being treated at the Kuchiki Manor, Ririn claims that this would not have happened if they were more useful. Suddenly, Koganehiko and Shiroganehiko appear in front of a startled Ichigo and observe that he seems tired before declaring that they will show him something interesting. Once Ichigo and his friends move outside in front of the house, with Ichigo wondering what it is they want to show him, Koganehiko and Shiroganehiko rapidly turn a crank outside the house that causes the fists of the stone arms holding up the banner to uncurl until they become flat, open palms, which amazes Orihime.

However, when asked about what he thinks of this, a perplexed Ichigo simply questions what it is, causing Koganehiko and Shiroganehiko to tearfully demand to know if he is not impressed by this magnificence, which blows Ichigo onto his back. While lying upside-down, Ichigo sees a cloud of dust being kicked up in the distance and turns himself over to see Taichi and Ishino riding on their boars while calling out for Ganju Shiba. Recognizing them as members of Ganju's Gang, Ichigo leaps aside right before the boars run over the area where he was lying, leaving them to crash into and knock down the two stone arms holding up the banner in front of the house, to Koganehiko and Shiroganehiko's shock.

Shortly afterward, Ichigo, Orihime, Sado, Ganju, Taichi, Ishino, Kenji Yamashita, and Sadatomo Saionji sit before Kūkaku in the main room of the house, where Taichi finishes recounting what they saw in Kusajishi and observes that it was the first time he had ever seen someone who could silence the villagers there. With Ganju musing on the location, Ichigo inquires if it was Kariya who did this, and when Ganju asserts that Kusajishi is a good place to start investigating even if he does not know for sure, Ichigo wonders why, only for Ganju's attempted explanation to be cut off by Kūkaku detailing how Kusajishi has some of the strongest fighters in the Rukongai who could be quite a force if unified.

When Ganju protests that he was about to say this, Kūkaku punches him in the face and asserts that anyone could have figured this out before turning to Taichi and Ishino, whom she menacingly asks about the reason they were in Kusajishi to begin with, leading Taichi to frantically claim that they were inspecting an intelligence game and studying society. In response, Kūkaku sends them both flying into the air with an uppercut for breaking her rule against doing things that they cannot do in broad daylight and turns to Ichigo, who decides to follow up on this since every lead is important regardless of its size, prompting a smiling Kūkaku to note that she thought he would say this.

Suddenly, Uryū Ishida opens the door to the room and states that he will be going too, surprising his friends. With Uryū requesting that Ganju let him come along so he can defeat Kariya, Ganju acknowledges this and begins to explain the plan for tomorrow morning, but is interrupted when Kūkaku punches him to the ground and proclaims that they are going right now since they need to outmaneuver the Bount, leaving Ichigo and his friends stunned while Ganju reminds Kūkaku that it is easy to get lost in this area at night. However, Kūkaku merely inquires if Ganju heard her, which prompts a frightened Ganju to decide that they will head out now with the encouragement of his gang and Orihime.

Outside the house, Ichigo sees the boars of Ganju's Gang and wonders what they are, leading Ganju to angrily correct his terminology and introduce the boars as Bonnie, Connie, Tony, Annie, Sunny, Honey, Manny, Nanny, and Kanbe. With Ichigo demanding to know why the last one is named different, he and his friends see Orihime praising the boars as cute and cuddling a blushing Kanbe. Following this, Ganju has his Gang saddle up on their boars, but when he turns to Ichigo and his friends to instruct them to do the same, a startled Ichigo refuses to ride on any boar prepared by Ganju and runs off while both Ganju and Ririn, who is riding on Ichigo's shoulder, protest this idea.

Ichigo asserts that he does not know how long it will take to reach their destination if he uses a boar and disappears with Shunpo, leaving Ganju irritated by this comment and demanding that Ichigo not underestimate Bonnie's capabilities before riding off on her back with the rest of Ichigo's friends and his gang on the other boars. Simultaneously, at the Kuchiki Manor, a sleeping Rukia opens her eyes and looks to the left to see the garden, which causes her to realize with confusion that she is at the Kuchiki Manor. After concluding that she was saved, Rukia notices a large pad on the floor to her right and observes that it is warm when she puts her hand on it, which she attributes to Byakuya.

Elsewhere in the Seireitei, Byakuya slowly walks down one of the streets and approaches one of the four gates of the Seireiheki. Meanwhile, in the Rukongai, Kon emerges from behind a board leaning against a wall in a marketplace and feigns having forgotten his location and identity, only to collapse in exhaustion. As he mentally reiterates that he is not going to die in a place like this, Kon immediately springs up upon hearing a woman's voice nearby and sees a young lady bringing tea to an older woman outside a teahouse. Focusing on the young lady's bosom, Kon states that he will never forget the shape of happiness even if he forgets everything else and runs toward the woman.

At the other end of the wall that Kon was standing next to, Ganju rides past with the others and warns an uncomfortable Uryū to not speak since beginners tend to bite their tongues. Behind them, Orihime cheers on the boars and Kurōdo revels in the experience alongside her due to this being the first time he has ever ridden a boar while Sado rides silently nearby. With the group approaching and entering the nearby forest, Ganju cautions them to not hit their heads against low-hanging branches. At the same time, Kariya, Koga, and Ichinose stand with Tōba inside a house in Kusajishi with several villagers standing outside, where Tōba suggests that they rest here for a while.

Upon being asked by Kariya if he can gather enough men, Tōba asserts that there is no one in Kusajishi who will not listen to him and promises to assemble the number of people Kariya requested by tomorrow, to the latter's bemusement, before excusing himself. Though Koga apologizes for bringing him to a place like this, Kariya assures Koga that he is having fun and turns to Ichinose, who initially does not respond to Kariya inquiring about how he feels about the situation prior to snapping to attention and apologizing when Koga alerts him. Chuckling at this, Kariya brings up how Ichinose has been acting strange ever since he came to Soul Society with them and speculates that something is bothering him.

However, Koga claims that the same is true for Kariya, who expresses intrigue at this, and describes him as seeming like he has been in high spirits ever since entering Soul Society. In turn, Kariya acknowledges that this is true and details how he finally feels like he is free here since he felt cramped up until now. With Koga surprised by this, Kariya moves to leave the house, and when Ichinose questions this, Kariya observes that someone amusing is approaching them. When Ichinose offers to join him in this case, Kariya orders him to organize the locals and proclaims that he will be greeting this man himself as he exits the building, leaving Koga and Ichinose to stare after him.

Elsewhere in the forest, Ganju continues riding with the others and declares that he is coming through, but Uryū gets him to stop after much persuasion and hesitantly reveals that they have been going in circles, shocking and embarrassing Ganju while the others express exasperation at this. Meanwhile, Kon happily drinks tea outside the teahouse, and after Kon praises the quality of the tea, the young woman offers to bring him more if he wants it, leading Kon to declare that he wants to live at this teahouse forever. In a wetlands area of Soul Society, Ichigo reappears and asks Ririn what she senses, only to end up departing with Shunpo again upon being told that there are no Bount present.

Back in the forest, Ganju ponders the situation in silence and attempts to downplay his mistake by laughing it off with platitudes, but stops upon seeing three thuggish men walking along the path ahead. One of the men inquires if a second is just going to leave them, which the second man refuses to answer, and responds to the question being turned back on him by admitting that Kariya intimidated him in a strange way despite being suspicious before denying the third man's teasing assertion that he is fawning over Kariya and suggesting they simply think about it. Suddenly, the three of them bump into Bonnie and see Ganju before them while the latter reveals he wants to ask them something.

Though the third man demands to know what he is talking about and the first man confidently informs Ganju that they are from Kusajishi, Ganju surprises them by asserting that this just makes things easier and assures Orihime that he will be fine when she expresses concern for him. Ganju proceeds to introduce himself as the previously self-proclaimed "Deep Red Bullet of West Rukongai" and the currently self-proclaimed "Karakura Town's Fastest Cashier, Flash Numeric Keypad" while holding up a barcode scanner in each hand, leaving Orihime, Sado, and Uryū aghast at his monikers still being self-proclaimed, before rearing up on Bonnie and charging into the three stunned men.

That night, Byakuya walks through the forest under the stars and comes to a stop before a smiling Kariya, who stands several feet away from him with his hands in his pockets. After Kariya confirms his identity, Byakuya notes that he seems to be doing whatever he likes, and when Kariya realizes that the Shinigami whom Yoshi cut down was Byakuya's younger sister, he wonders if Byakuya is here to avenge her, only for Byakuya to deny this since he just has to kill Soul Society's enemies. In response, Kariya grins manically and unleashes a torrent of wind that engulfs himself and Byakuya before culminating in an explosion of power that surges above the trees.

Shinigami Illustrated Picture Book
As he sits with Ganju Shiba, Orihime Inoue, Ririn, Kurōdo, and Noba inside Kūkaku Shiba's house, Ichigo Kurosaki turns to Ganju and notes that Kūkaku is pretty scary. When Ganju expresses his desire to win in a confrontation with her for once, Kurōdo uses his Shape-shifting to turn into Kūkaku and cheerily promises to do whatever Ganju wants her to do today while embracing him. Though Ganju is unnerved by the knowledge of who she really is, Kurōdo briefly returns to his plushie form and encourages Ganju to clear all his pent-up anger before returning to Kūkaku's form, prompting Ganju to begin calling her stupid, only for the real Kūkaku to appear behind them and question what he is saying prior to launching them both out of the Kakaku Taihō.

Fights

 * Byakuya Kuchiki & Ichigo Kurosaki vs. Jin Kariya

Powers and Techniques Used
Hohō Techniques:

Dolls summoned:

Other Powers: