With the help of Kûkaku--a one-armed explosives expert and old friend of the mysterious talking cat Yoruichi--Ichigo and crew are one step closer to infiltrating the Soul Society and rescuing their friend Rukia before she is executed. For Kûkaku's plan to work, Ichigo must control his enormous reservoir of spiritual energy--and there's no telling how much collateral damage this will cause. Meanwhile, the Soul Society hasn't been twiddling their collective thumbs, and quickly dispatches a delegation of captains to give the unwanted visitors the rudest of welcomings imaginable.