Ichigo finds Rukia injured in the world of the living, and that she is being attacked by a strange woman, who uses rukia's abilties. It is revealed to be that this woman is Rukia's Zapakuto, Sode no Shirayuki. Ichigo successfully forces the renegade zapakuto into submission, and Sode no Shirayuki retreats back to soul society. Ichigo brings Rukia to the Urahara shop, where she reveals that the Shinigami's zanpakuto's have attacked their masters, and reveals that Byakuya was seemingly defeated fighting by his own zanpakuto, Senbonzakura. The remaining shinigami of the gotei 13 squads regroup to the 4th Division headquarters while they try to re-establish their defenses, and learn more about the zanpakuto rebellion. and Urahara observes that only the Zapakuto in Soul Soceity are affected and that those in the real world are unaffected, and decides to try to capture one of the materialized zanpakuto in an attempt to learn more about their new enemy. In the middle of the night, Rukia leaves for Soul Society, apparently in search of Byakuya. Ichigo and Yoruichi leave for soul society in an attempt to go after Rukia and save soul society.
From creator Tite Kubo, comes the story of a world where passing lurks impalpable to an everyday human's eyes. Ichigo Kurosaki helps run a local clinic with his family but Ichigo has the unusual ability to see poltergeists but rather than react with surprise he merely sees it as an annoyance. Ichigo helps those when he cares but can't bring himself to care enough... until one fateful day. A small, mysterious woman appears on duty inside his room, a Soul Reaper known as Rukia. Soon enough Ichigo and Rukia get formal in the oddest of ways and in such an untimely matter the losses begin. The Kurosaki family is soon attacked. This leads Ichigo on his first step to accepting the roles and responsibility's a Soul Reaper must uphold.