Ichigo and Uryū, Bonded Back to Back

 is the two hundred and sixty-ninth episode of the Bleach anime.

As Uryū Ishida deals with Yammy Llargo, Ulquiorra Cifer shows Ichigo Kurosaki his Resurrección.

Summary
Shocked to see Uryū, Ichigo tries to question him about his happenings since their departure, but Uryū, stating it is highly irresponsible of Ichigo to ask for the full details while they are both fighting, explains how Captain Mayuri Kurotsuchi took a while to patch him up after healing Lieutenant Renji Abarai. As he begins to say Renji, Rukia Kuchiki, and Yasutora Sado are still fighting on the outer wall, Orihime Inoue's warning cuts his lecture short as Yammy, having recuperated, attacks again. As Yammy slams his fist into the ground, Uryū, dodging it with Hirenkyaku, states Yammy is tougher than he looks, for the arrow did not pierce him all the way. When he tells Yammy to follow him so they do not get in the way of Ichigo's fight with Ulquiorra, Yammy, getting Ulquiorra's approval, follows the Quincy. When Ulquiorra asks if Ichigo is not worried about his friend, Ichigo, saying he is not worried at all, challenges Ulquiorra to resume their battle. One floor below, Yammy mentions Mayuri, prompting Uryū to shoot an arrow at him, which Yammy repels.

On the wall, Rukia has finished another batch of Exequias, but Rudbornn Chelute, using Calaveras to create a new one, tells her she and her allies are foolish to have come to Hueco Mundo and challenged the Espada while they cannot even pose a threat to him. He promises Rukia this will be her end.

Charging at Uryū, Yammy, swatting an arrow away as he advances, slams his fist into where Uryū stood a second ago. As Yammy, promising he will not be hit by an arrow again, starts firing Balas at Uryū, Uryū dodges them. As the shots hit and destroy many of the floor's pillars, Yammy compliments Uryū on his speed. When Uryū, mocking Yammy for his sluggishness, surprises him by appearing above him and firing several arrows into his shoulders, Yammy, shrugging the arrows away, says they are not even worth dodging.

As Ulquiorra and Ichigo cross blades, Ulquiorra, tricking Ichigo, kicks him away. When he asks if Orihime's presence is what prevents Ichigo from using his mask, Ichigo, denying this, fires a Getsuga Tenshō, which Ulquiorra deflects at Orihime, who is forced to use Santen Kesshun to block it. Sensing Ichigo's reluctance to use his full power while Orihime is around to be hurt by them, Uryū decides to put his plan into motion.

As Uryū pulls out a Seele Schneider, Yammy states this is something new. Stating he never does the same thing twice, Uryū fires the Seele Schneider. Not bothering to dodge it, Yammy takes the arrow right above his Hollow hole. As the Seele Schneider begins working its effect on Yammy, Uryū explains to him the nature of the Seele Schneider, which breaks the bonds between spirit particles, allowing the Quincy to absorb them more easily. As Uryū seems sure of his victory, Yammy, negating the effect of the Seele Schneider, pulls the weapon out of his body and fires a Cero at Uryū.

Complimenting Rukia on her resolve, Rudbornn says her fight is hopeless, for she will fight an endless amount of expendable warriors. As Rukia realizes she will soon be worn down by the Exequias without even getting near enough to Rudbornn to land a hit, one of the soldiers lunges at her, skewering himself on Sode no Shirayuki, and pins her to the ground with his body. As four other soldiers, attempting to pounce on the immobile Rukia, position their blades downwards to skewer Rukia, the attack is stopped by the arrival of Renji and Chad, with Renji using Hihiō Zabimaru to destroy the attackers.

As Uryū, having sustained Yammy's Cero, falls to his knees, Yammy comments on how desperate he looks now as opposed to how calm and collected he looked earlier. When Uryū states Yammy is sweating like a pig, Yammy, telling him his technique is useless against him, drops the Seele Schneider, which lodges into the floor. When Yammy, charging his Bala, mentions Mayuri, an angered Uryū promises revenge and, dodging the attack, fires three more Seele Schneider which miss Yammy. Reaching Uryū, Yammy, punching him, launches him through the air. As Yammy asks if Uryū is ready to die, Uryū tells Yammy he is as foolish as Ichigo. The Seele Schneider he had shot had created a pentagon, into which Uryū drew Yammy. Pulling out the last Seele Schneider, Uryū lodges it into the floor, completing the pentagon and finishing the Sprenger he was constructing. Applying the Gintō to the Seele Schneider, Uryū finishes the trap, which activates.

As Rukia, greeting Renji and Chad, asks how their fight ended, Renji, stating they finished off all the Hollows, refers to himself and Chad as a "golden duo", which draws a sarcastic remark from Rukia. The ensuing argument ends when Rudbornn, asking if they are Rukia's backup, says their arrival will not make a difference, for his Calaveras is endless, prompting Renji to comment on Rudbornn's power being like a fruit tree. As he and Chad argue about this, Rukia, having an idea, tells the duo to deal with the soldiers while she tends to the root of the problem.

As Yammy is visibly injured by the Sprenger, but still far from immobilized, Uryū mocks him for having played right into his hands, allowing him to set up the Sprenger during battle, a feat not usually possible. As he begins to walk away, Yammy gets to his feet, prompting Uryū to tell him he must be very strong to still be able to get up. As the Espada takes a step, he warns him to watch where he walks. Yammy's next step places him above Mayuri's special mine, set to explode when it senses an Arrancar's Reiryoku over it. As Yammy dangles over a gaping hole in the floor, Uryū reveals the location of the Sprenger was no mere accident, but carefully placed to get Yammy to step over the mine. He tells Yammy he feels sorry for him, for if he had not shown up, Yammy would have more time to fool around and have fun. He fires an arrow at the floor, dislodging the block held by Yammy, causing him to fall, and reveals he destroyed the pillars right beneath the mine, assuring Yammy a non-stop trip to the bottom of the tower.

Having gotten rid of his opponent, Uryū, returning to the upper level, describes the manner of his victory to Ichigo. Asking him to protect Orihime, Ichigo, apologizing to Ulquiorra for having kept him waiting, dons his mask and attacks. As a surprised Ulquiorra sees his sword crack under Ichigo's assault, Ichigo's Getsuga Tenshō pushes Ulquiorra through the tower wall. As he falls, he fires a Cero at Ichigo, who blocks it with Tensa Zangetsu. Convinced his attacks no longer have any effect on Ichigo, Ulquiorra flies upwards past Ichigo. As Ichigo follows, Ulquiorra, cutting through the dome of Las Noches, lands atop a high pillar. Ulquiorra reveals there are two things forbidden inside the walls of Las Noches: the use of the Gran Rey Cero, and the release of any of the top four Espada's Zanpakutō, for those are powerful enough to destroy the building. Releasing his Zanpakutō, Murciélago, he advises Ichigo to stay constantly alert and never let his guard down, even for a single second. Materializing a javelin, he, using Sonído, appears in front of a surprised Ichigo, who has barely any time to react. As the severity of the attack leaves Ichigo wounded and kneeling, Ulquiorra, stating Ichigo fired a Getsuga Tenshō instinctively, coldly compliments him on doing so, for had he not done so, his head would be rolling at Ulquiorra's feet. With the upper-right portion of his mask gone, Ichigo gasps as he turns his head to face his attacker, who coldly stares back at the wounded Ichigo.

Shinigami Illustrated Picture Book
Uryū gives a lecture about the fifth tower of Las Noches. It lacks stairs, so one must either fly up or break through the floors to get upstairs. The thick ceilings have countless pillars between them, which makes the tower a very strong structure. When Ichigo asks him how he came to know so much on the matter, Uryū states he had to break many of the pillars and plant a mine under the floor to trap Yammy. When Ichigo uses the opportunity to poke fun at Uryū's outfit, Uryū tells him to stuff it.

Characters in Order of Appearance

 * 1) Ichigo Kurosaki
 * 2) Ulquiorra Cifer
 * 3) Yammy Llargo
 * 4) Uryū Ishida
 * 5) Orihime Inoue
 * 6) Rukia Kuchiki
 * 7) Rudbornn Chelute
 * 8) Renji Abarai
 * 9) Yasutora Sado
 * 10) Mayuri Kurotsuchi (flashback)

Fights

 * Ichigo Kurosaki vs. Ulquiorra Cifer: Final Fight
 * Rukia Kuchiki vs. Rudbornn Chelute

Powers and Techniques Used
Hollow techniques used

Techniques used

Fullbring used:

Zanpakutō released

Shikai: Bankai:

Resurrección used

Other powers