Chad and Orihime not "getting to contribute" is a weird complaint.

Their whole thing is that they're only involved in this at all and only contribute to the degree they do out of loyalty and love, respectively, for Ichigo. They are defined by their relationship to Ichigo and this was an arc whose antagonist was twisting and weaponizing Ichigo's relationships.

And even then, the arc does show off their character development before Tuskishima co-opts them. Chad is more proactive and Orihime is more willing to fight, even willing to threaten violence, and has cultivated her powers so that she has an option other than "turtle" and "instant death attack"

As for the rest... Again, Ichigo getting his powers back wasn't in question. Even when he was training with Fullbring the selling point wasn't "these are replacement powers," it was "you aren't the first Shinigami representative nor the first to lose their powers. This will help you draw out and reawaken your lost powers."

The entire selling point that was Ichigo's powers were not gone forever, just inaccessible without outside help. Fullbring was just a stepping stone.

And we knew that Urahara and Isshin were up to something in the background, and we flat out saw a Shinigami channeling power into something several chapters beforehand.

Soul Society's intervention also showcases the character development of several Shinigami.

Like, I hope I don't come across as dismissive, but to me it seems like you were expecting a story that should have been clear from pretty early on wasn't going to be what we got.