Chapter 369: BSUS - 372: Forced Distraction

The tables had turned. Kaien realized it was nearly impossible for them to keep the big guy pinned down any longer. Not to mention, Yammy had regained his composure and was already bounding away into the distance—the word ’nearly’ could be dropped entirely.

Rukia and Matsumoto looked like they still wanted to try and stop Yammy, but Kaien made a prompt decision. "Ignore him! We’re going to help Ikkaku and the others!"

"But..."

"Abarai and Urahara are still there. We have to trust them."

Urahara had also noticed the sudden change in the situation ahead. Since it was a tactical operation, they had to account for the possibility of unexpected variables. He and Renji had been waiting in reserve precisely to mitigate the fallout of any such surprises.

Renji felt the same way. At least, before Urahara spoke, it had never crossed his mind that surprises could be created not only by the enemy, but by their own allies as well.

"You should go help them too, Mr. Abarai."

"Huh? But didn’t you say I shouldn’t go and get in the way?"

Before leaving, Hiroe had once remarked that Renji had inherited even his flaws so thoroughly, it was obvious the brat had been taught by Ikkaku.

What he meant was that both of them were blockheads. When fighting alone, they might pull off all sorts of bizarre and unpredictable moves, but they struggled to actively coordinate with others. The more complex the tactical coordination, the harder it was for them to integrate.

Of course, Hiroe’s words weren’t entirely correct. It wasn’t as if those two only ever caused trouble for others. If they were paired with someone they were extremely familiar with, their exquisite teamwork could be truly eye-catching.

Ikkaku and Yumichika’s earlier display was a perfect example of this. Although they constantly bickered and badmouthed each other, if someone else were to partner with Ikkaku, all those insults would become reality.

Renji’s situation was a bit more complicated. Logically speaking, his relationship with Rukia should have been enough to support coordinated combat, but the reality was the exact opposite.

Perhaps it was out of excessive concern, but Renji was far too tense when it came to Rukia. Especially after the showdown at Sōkyoku Hill, Rukia had become like a heart beating outside of his own body. Could you imagine your own heart wielding a sword on the battlefield? ’Concern leads to chaos’ was the perfect description for Renji.

Hiroe might have also played a significant role in this. After all, the jokes he made back in the 5th Division had felt a bit too real, and there were very few people in the Seireitei who could tell when he was joking and when he wasn’t. Coupled with the fact that his attitude toward Renji had always been poor, it was understandable why Renji was so desperate to prove himself.

However, Hiroe would never admit to this. Even if there were human factors involved, it had to be because Byakuya put too much pressure on people. That had to be it!

Hiroe had wanted to resolve this issue with Renji, hoping to brand the word ’composure’ deep into his soul. Unfortunately, it hadn’t yielded much result by the time Hiroe left for Naruki City. And even after handing him over to Urahara for further training, there didn’t seem to be any major improvement.

"No matter how realistic the training is, it’s still just training. The fastest growth only comes from real combat, Mr. Abarai."

*I won’t let down your expectations of me, Mr. Urahara!*

Renji felt inexplicably moved. Just as he was about to make a solemn vow, Urahara threw cold water on his enthusiasm. "Besides, the enemy you’re facing probably won’t give you much of a chance to coordinate anyway. If you and Mr. Madarame each handle two tentacles, and the rest take one each, wouldn’t that be just perfect?"

"This is the most suitable battlefield for you, Mr. Abarai."

*’Now that’s the Mr. Urahara I know...’* Renji muttered inwardly. It would be a miracle if Urahara wasn’t being purely pragmatic.

However, just as he was about to head over to provide backup, Yammy’s burly figure maliciously blocked their path. Looking half-enraged and half-amused, his fighting spirit was soaring.

"So you really did send those insects on purpose."

Urahara stared at Yammy with a cold, stern gaze, but his words were not directed at the Espada. "Aren’t you going to move, Mr. Abarai?"

"Hey! Are you ignoring me, you bastard?!" Yammy roared, asserting his presence.

But Renji didn’t even glance at him. He nodded silently and suddenly leaped upward, evidently heading toward Luppi’s location to provide support.

Yammy didn’t care whether Luppi lived or died, but being repeatedly ignored like this was something he could not tolerate.

He raised his head, his eyes quickly locking onto Renji above, but a sharp blade suddenly pierced into his field of vision. It was that guy he hated.

"Finally got the guts to face me yourself?!"

Yammy laughed heartily, sweeping a kick toward Urahara, who was slashing at him. Urahara seemed unable to react in time and was actually cleaved in two by the kick.

Bizarrely, despite being split in half, not a single drop of blood flowed from his wounds. As a gust of wind blew past, the two halves of the body simply scattered away.

A fake! Yammy didn’t hesitate and quickly spun around. The toy-like sword in his hand was only half-drawn when the Zanpakutō that had previously appeared in his vision thrust right in front of his face.

*Pfft.* Bright red blood spurted from his palm. Urahara hadn’t put his full strength into the thrust, so it only barely pierced the Espada’s hand—a trivial scratch for someone with Yammy’s robust physique.

"I’m just a normal shopkeeper. Why wouldn’t I dare to face a stranger?" Urahara’s face once again bore a teasing smile, and he thrust Benihime backward with even more force. "So, what exactly are you looking for here, dear customer?"

Urahara’s appearance seemed to make Yammy forget the pain. His left hand, which was blocking in front of him, flipped down and grabbed hold. As he pressed down and pulled, his right hand drew his sword and decisively slashed at Urahara’s neck.

"I want... your lives!"

This was a question that not only Urahara wanted answered. After Grimmjow’s last invasion, Renji and the other Shinigami sent to the World of the Living as reinforcements, along with Chad, had been training at the Urahara Shop. Meanwhile, Ichigo and Inoue were training with Hirako and his group.

Hiroe had deduced that Aizen’s next objective was to take someone to Hueco Mundo, and that person was most likely Inoue Orihime. However, Ichigo was also a target Aizen had once tried to kill. A deduction was just a deduction; it couldn’t completely guarantee Ichigo’s future safety.

Putting the two potential targets together was risky, but it also made it harder for the enemy to create a diversion. With Hirako and the others present, even if an unmanageable opponent appeared, Hiroe and his team could rush to their aid immediately. To take someone away from under their collective watch, even if Aizen came personally, it would surely take him some time to accomplish.

Of course, this was only the plan as Hirako and the others knew it. Hiroe and his group had their own ulterior motives for designing it this way, and the foundation of these motives was that Aizen’s target was indeed Inoue Orihime.

But the current situation seemed somewhat different. Eight of the Espada had arrived. Their entry points into the World of the Living were scattered, and their movement trajectories after appearing were all completely different.

This disrupted the plans of Hiroe’s trio, and it also threw off the actions of Hirako and his group, who were originally supposed to hold their ground in the face of an attack. After all, before new reinforcements from the Seireitei arrived, relying solely on the people at the Urahara Shop to face eight Espada was truly stretching them too thin.

To stop the Espada who had already arrived, they would need the assistance of Hirako and his group.

The forces they had originally consolidated were instantly shattered by Aizen’s deployment of eight scattered Espada—a tactic so direct it bordered on crude.