Chapter 369: Haineko

"Bakudō #1: Sai!"

Rangiku Matsumoto's face turned cold as her delicate, fair left hand extended in front of her chest. Her thumb, ring finger, and little finger bent toward her palm while her index and middle fingers were upright, and she swiftly chanted with a low voice.

In an instant, Orihime Inoue's wrists were bound by an invisible rope, pulling her arms behind her back. Her ankles were bound together, and her legs bent upward, causing her to fall to the ground.

It seemed as if an invisible rope had tightly bound her hands and feet behind her back.

"Orihime!" Uryū Ishida's face grew stern. He swiftly activated his Hirenkyaku, and a longbow formed in his right hand. In a flash, he was standing in front of Orihime, drawing an arrow of fluctuating reishi, his sharp eyes fixed on Rangiku Matsumoto.

"The Sixth Division is not part of the search squads due to its responsibilities," Rangiku said with a hint of helplessness as she glanced at Uryū, her right hand resting on the hilt of her zanpakutō. "If you had bothered to look closely at the armbands, you would have noticed that you're wearing the armbands of the Third Division. Then you wouldn't have been exposed by me."

Rangiku sighed. If only they had been more careful, they wouldn't have been caught.

The Sixth Division, a noble division, was guarding the noble district nearby and was not involved in the current search mission, except for the occasional roaming member like Abarai.

Although she was known for being laid-back and had been left behind by her captain due to her drinking habits, she couldn't ignore encountering enemies. After all, she was still a vice-captain.

"Ugh, such a hassle. Why can't I just drink and relax without having to work..." she muttered.

"Is that so? Then I have no choice but to deal with you," Uryū's eyes narrowed as he released his bowstring, firing a reishi arrow toward Rangiku. He quickly called out, "Mr, please take Orihime to safety."

H'el glanced at Orihime, who was struggling to move, and nodded. He grabbed the back of her clothing and, with a single lift, carried her to a corner of the wall, then set her down to watch the fight.

Orihime continued wriggling like a worm, trying to break free from the Bakudō.

H'el stood quietly beside her, watching the battle unfold.

Rangiku dodged the incoming arrow with a slight tilt of her head, noting H'el moving Orihime to the corner of the wall. In front of her, Uryū appeared again.

"Your opponent is me," Uryū declared, activating his Hirenkyaku and appearing around Rangiku, creating afterimages that seemed to surround her from all directions, as if forming a formation. He unleashed a rain of arrows, dense as a torrential downpour, towards her.

The arrow barrage stirred up dust from the ground, shrouding the area in debris.

Uryū stood on the ground, drawing his bow and whispering, "I know you seem interested in Mr, but to approach Orihime or him, you'll need to defeat me first."

The sunlight reflected off Uryū's glasses, his eyes behind them remaining cautious as he watched the cloud of dust stirred up by the arrow barrage. He could sense that Rangiku's spiritual pressure had not diminished; it was still stable.

H'el watched from the corner, feeling slightly awkward. "Why are you all talking about me while fighting? It's embarrassing," he muttered, scratching his head.

Orihime was still struggling to free herself from the Bakudō.

"Haineko!"

From within the swirling dust, Rangiku's voice came softly, initiating her zanpakutō's release. Ash formed waves, spreading out, and clinging invisibly to Uryū's body.

Uryū squinted his eyes, noticing Rangiku holding a rectangular zanpakutō handle with no visible blade. She waved away the dust, emanating a powerful spiritual pressure.

"Your footwork is fast, but your reishi control is not refined," Rangiku commented, shaking her head. "It's over."

Compared to her highly trained reishi manipulation, this "four-eyed kid's" skills were subpar. Whether it was due to her expertise or his lack of practice, she believed her own skills were simply superior—after all, few in the Seireitei could match her proficiency, save for someone like Gin Ichimaru.

"Flash!"

Uryū's eyes sharpened as he activated his Hirenkyaku again, leaping into the air. He drew another bright reishi arrow from above, aiming to shoot down at Rangiku.

But as he prepared to release the arrow, Rangiku swung her zanpakutō handle downward.

Suddenly, the gray ash from earlier began to swirl around Uryū's clothes, tightening around his joints and arteries like blades cutting into his tendons and muscles.

"Ah—!"

Uryū screamed in pain as the ash sliced through his tendons, sending blood spraying into the air as he plummeted to the ground.

Rangiku looked at the falling Uryū and shook her head. "Your fighting style is too straightforward. Even with your fast footwork, how do you expect to harm a Shinigami with such simple arrows?"

"Orihime!" she cried out, seeing Uryū drop from the sky, her voice filled with concern.

H'el continued watching in silence.

The gray ash that wrapped around Uryū extended back to Rangiku's zanpakutō hilt.

"Don't struggle. I have no intention of killing you, only cutting your tendons to prevent further resistance," Rangiku explained as she walked toward Uryū, her zanpakutō still emitting its deadly ash.

Uryū was in agony, severely injured from the fall. His bones were fractured, his tendons severed, and blood was gushing out. He was unable to move at all.

Gritting his teeth, he attempted to turn his body, his spiritual power beginning to gather into fine threads.

°°°

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