Oath! Back Here Alive Again

 is the one hundred and fiftieth episode of the Bleach anime.

Ichigo Kurosaki and his group enter Las Noches.

Summary
In her room in Las Noches, having just been informed by Ulquiorra Cifer of her friends entering Hueco Mundo to rescue her, Orihime Inoue is left shocked as Ulquiorra reminds her that this should mean nothing to her because she is now an Arrancar in body and spirit, which is what the outfit she is now wearing signifies. Affirming this, Orihime is coerced by Ulquiorra into declaring that her body and spirit are for Sōsuke Aizen and his desires.

Meanwhile, outside Las Noches, Ichigo Kurosaki and 6th Division Lieutenant Renji Abarai successfully break down part of the outer wall with simultaneous attacks from their respective Shikai, Zangetsu and Zabimaru, prompting Renji to confirm to Ichigo that they got through because he feels a breeze now. When an aghast Nel Tu protests this since the actual gate to Las Noches is only a three-day walk from here, Ichigo points out that they cannot walk in through the front door since they are not just visiting a friend here and Renji asserts that they do not have three days.

Thanking Nel for bringing them here, Ichigo cautions her that staying with them any longer will make the other Arrancar think she has betrayed them and bids her farewell prior to running into the hole in the wall with his friends, only for Nel to begin frantically running after him while Pesche Guatiche and Dondochakka Birstanne stand by outside. Nel tells Ichigo that they became traitors the moment Runuganga found them and that Aizen may have known even before that, meaning that either the latter will never forgive them or the Espada will not, though she claims that she is not saying this to force Ichigo to take them along.

With Nel continuing to deny wanting Ichigo to take her with her, Yasutora Sado affirms to Renji that she wants Ichigo to be worried about her prior to an exasperated Ichigo acquiescing to this, only to be interrupted by a loud booming noise as Nel's voice begins to grow fainter, which prompts Uryū Ishida to theorize that she has fallen underground. Startled by this, Ichigo runs back toward Nel's voice, with Rukia Kuchiki following him, and calls out to her just before Pesche and Dondochakka emerge from the darkness and collide with him, causing the three of them to fall on the floor while Rukia joins them and wonders what they are doing.

When Ichigo inquires about Nel's location, Pesche admits that they do not know and simply followed her into the tunnel, leaving Ichigo confused prior to Sado drawing his attention to a square vertical tunnel with a ladder cut into the ground nearby, which Uryū theorizes is an airshaft that was hidden within the wall in response to Renji assuming the ground collapsed. As Ichigo expresses disbelief at how much trouble Nel is and how many holes in the ground Hueco Mundo has, Pesche and Dondochakka call down the hole to Nel, and after musing that they cannot just leave Nel alone, to Renji's annoyance, Ichigo leaps down the tunnel after her.

At the bottom of the tunnel, Nel tearfully insults Ichigo several times, but is shocked when Ichigo lands behind her and questions who she is referring to. With Nel coldly insisting that she does not want Ichigo to take her with him, an irritated Ichigo threatens to really leave her here if she continues with this behavior, prompting Nel to run over to and clutch his legs while accusing him of only pretending to want to save her and actually coming here to bully her. Sighing at this, Ichigo finally agrees to take Nel with him, to her amazement, and comments on her bursting into tears again as his friends descend the latter from above.

Suddenly, while Renji tells Rukia that Ichigo and Nel are performing a comedy routine below, Uryū hears a rumbling from above and sees a torrent of rubble and debris falling down into the tunnel, leading him to frantically tell the others to jump down. At the bottom of the tunnel, Ichigo tells Nel to blow her nose and wipe away her tears, but when Uryū lands beside him with Rukia and Renji and instructs him to run, a bewildered Ichigo does not move out of the way in time before Pesche and Dondochakka fall on top of him, which prompts an excited Nel to jump onto the pile after Pesche and Dondochakka express relief at her being alright.

Aggravated by this, Ichigo throws the three Arrancar off and berates them for doing this to him yet again, only to be buried by several chunks of rock falling from above. Watching this from the nearby passage with Rukia, Sado, Uryū, and Renji, Pesche and Dondochakka comment on how close this was while Nel asks Ichigo if he is alright. After Ichigo angrily emerges unharmed from the rubble, his friends begin leaving in search of another exit from the passage, to Ichigo's irritation. Shortly afterward, as he and his friends walk through the passage, Ichigo complains about how dark it is, leading a smirking Renji to confidently declare that he will take care of this.

Though Ichigo questions what he could do, Renji explains that Kidō can do some amazing things with a little creativity and uses '''Hadō #31. Shakkahō''' with the intention of creating a large light source, only to end up creating a tiny sphere of red light in his palm. With Uryū snidely commenting on how Renji made an incredibly small and weak light source after acting like he was about to show off, Rukia berating him for attempting an Eishōhaki he has not mastered yet, and a bemused Ichigo claiming that Renji's red hair will light their way like Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer, Renji angrily tells them all to shut up.

While the group continues to travel through the passage following this, Ichigo looks around at their illuminated surroundings and wonders if Aizen built this entire structure, prompting Nel to explain that he at least constructed the palace and that she is not sure about the basement area. In response, Uryū deduces that this is likely the old building which is not in use anymore, and with Ichigo declaring that they should simply make their way back up as soon as possible, Dondochakka notices something shining at the end of a branching passage and runs off toward it with Nel and Pesche despite Ichigo telling them to wait.

Upon following the Arrancar into the side passage, Ichigo and his friends discover a doorway at the end, which Uryū confirms Dondochakka's assumption of being the exit since it is made from different materials and therefore must mark the start of the newly constructed area before warning the others that it will be occupied instead of abandoned. Though Uryū concludes that they should be cautious moving forward, Ichigo asks Uryū to step aside for a moment and draws his Shikai, Zangetsu, to destroy the door with a single attack, revealing a set of stairs leading up to another door behind it while Ichigo and Sado muse on this.

Despite Uryū's protests, Ichigo asserts that they just have to keep smashing through to move on and continues breaking down walls until he and his friends reach a chamber with five exits lit by five torches, which leads Uryū to observe they have reached a crossroads and Renji to comment on this being troublesome. After a powerful Reiatsu fills the chamber from beyond the doors, a sweating Ichigo notes it really is time to say goodbye to Nel because she could not handle the Reiatsu beyond this point and he cannot imagine what will happen next. When Uryū assumes they will try each path as a group, Rukia instead states they should each take a different path.

As Ichigo contests the idea of dividing their forces because there is no guarantee that the Espada will come after them individually, Renji stands between them and explains to Ichigo that it is insulting to a warrior for someone to worry about their welfare. With Ichigo stunned by this, Rukia deduces that Ichigo wants them to stay together because he is worried about her and reminds him that he does not need to worry about her since she did not come here to be protected by him. Once Ichigo accepts this and agrees that they should all take separate paths, Renji announces that they will perform a charm before they leave.

Renji details to a confused Ichigo how this is an old tradition which the Gotei 13 used to perform before major battles and which he feels is worth reviving now even though it is not a common practice anymore. Having everyone hold out their hands and chastising them for making him feel more embarrassed than he already was, Renji proclaims their blades will not shatter and their hearts will not weaken as they approach the crucial battleground before concluding their iron hearts will remain together though their paths diverge and they will come back here alive even if the land itself should break asunder, prompting Ichigo, Rukia, Sado, Uryū, and Renji to split up into the five exits.

While Nel, Pesche, and Dondochakka are left standing in the chamber behind Ichigo and his departing friends once they disappear into the exits, Pesche wonders what they should do next and Dondochakka observes they are already in trouble no matter what. When Nel runs toward the hallway Ichigo entered, and when Pesche questions where she is going, Nel reveals she is following Ichigo because she had a lot of fun coming here and wants to have more fun by staying with him before entering the hallway and leaving Pesche and Dondochakka to decide to follow her as well after a moment's hesitation, only to realize they do not know which one she entered.

Meanwhile, in the hallway leading to Orihime's room, Ulquiorra steps out and recalls Orihime only hesitating for an instant prior to asserting that her heart and spirit are dedicated to Aizen without questioning the request, which he considers brave. Suddenly, a grinning Nnoitra Gilga leans against the wall behind Ulquiorra and inquires about how their pet is doing. After Nnoitra brings up Aizen putting him in charge of Orihime and suggests that Ulquiorra could have some fun with her, a disgusted Ulquiorra begins walking away, but Nnoitra moves in front of Ulquiorra with Sonído and blocks the latter's path with his arm.

Despite Nnoitra claiming he was not trying to anger Ulquiorra and simply wanted to know if things are going well, Ulquiorra wonders if he is curious or frightened, to Nnoitra's confusion, and moves past the latter while noting Orihime was under Aizen's power long before she entered Las Noches. When Nnoitra assumes Aizen used Kyōka Suigetsu, Ulquiorra asserts there was no need for this and reveals they put Orihime in a multi-layered mental cage before she came to Las Noches by stating her friends would die if she resisted in any way, giving her a twelve-hour grace period, and permitting her to say a silent and invisible goodbye to just one of her friends.

Though Nnoitra scoffs at the idea of this mentally entrapping Orihime, Ulquiorra elaborates that giving Orihime a reprieve when she was in a state of terror and letting her bid farewell to a friend led her to falsely believe that they were sympathetic to her, which weakened her will, with the grace period actually being a deception to confuse her faculties because allowing her to choose who to say goodbye to created the illusion that she was acting of her own free will instead of being abducted and letting her return to the rendezvous point on her own deeply ingrained the illusion in her mind, destroying her will to escape.

With Nnoitra musing on this, Ulquiorra observes that a trace of Orihime's presence was left on the friend she said goodbye to and responds to Nnoitra presuming that this was a mistake by revealing that this trace proved she had freedom of movement and thought until her departure, which caused her actions to appear to be a voluntary betrayal of her friends. Admitting that he does not know if this was a complete success, Ulquiorra concludes that Soul Society has definitely abandoned Orihime by now. Nnoitra expresses admiration of Aizen's genius at undergoing such painstaking planning, but Ulquiorra counters that this was simply a game to Aizen.

Ulquiorra concludes that it would not have mattered if the plan did not work prior to asserting that Orihime does not have the will to attempt an escape or even resent the Arrancar. Simultaneously, on the couch in her room, Orihime sits and recalls her prior meeting with Aizen. In the past, Loly Aivirrne and Menoly Mallia bring Orihime before Aizen, who thanks her for coming since there is something he wants to show her. When Aizen tells them to leave, Loly and Menoly protest that they cannot leave him alone with Orihime, but frantically kneel and apologize upon seeing Aizen staring at them balefully and storm out past Ulquiorra in indignation.

Once the door closes, Aizen raises a tall cylinder from the ground and has it open in segments to reveal the Hōgyoku within, leaving Orihime unnerved by the sensation of being close to it. Confirming to her that it is the Hōgyoku, Aizen explains that it is somewhat weak right now due to its slumber being disrupted multiple times, but assures her that it is making steady progress and will awaken soon and muses that neither the transformation of Hollows into proper Arrancar or the creation of the Ōken would be possible without it. Aizen asserts that he is showing Orihime this in order to prove that he trusts her.

Elaborating that this is due to Orihime's power of rejecting and destroying phenomena being tremendously powerful, Aizen requests that she use her power to help him, leaving Orihime sweating in fear. In the present, Orihime dismisses the idea of Aizen showing her the Hōgyoku because he trusts her, only to note she now knows where it is and what her powers are as she recalls Aizen describing it as a rejection of events and the complete destruction of phenomena. Thanking Ichigo for coming to save her, Orihime concludes she has figured out what she has to do her and it is something only she can do before resolving to use her powers to destroy the Hōgyoku. With Aizen smirking in his chair, Ichigo runs down a corridor as someone steps out behind him.

Arrancar Encyclopedia
Announcing announces that he will be revealing his secrets today, Dondochakka Birstanne explains that his eyes are sharp enough to find his targets in games of endless tag and his stomach is strong enough to digest anything. However, Gin Ichimaru releases his Shikai, Shinsō, and pushes an apologetic Dondochakka off the stage with it before the latter can detail himself further. Though he is annoyed by having his segment stolen, Gin expresses amusement at the information given and contemplates repeating this with Ulquiorra Cifer or Yammy Llargo.

Events

 * Enter The Home of Hollows (concluded)

Powers and Techniques Used
Kidō Techniques:

Arrancar Techniques:
 * Garganta Broadcast (flashback)

Zanpakutō released:

Shikai:

Anime Notes
Removed Content= Added/Expanded Content= Changes=
 * Pesche Guatiche and Dondochakka Birstanne protesting Nel Tu running after Ichigo Kurosaki into Las Noches.
 * Ichigo wondering what the area they are traveling through is and Nel explaining that it is the old, uninhabited building underneath Las Noches before Pesche and Dondochakka discover a door leading to the new building, which Ichigo breaks through alongside the doors behind it until they reach the crossroads.
 * Powerful Reiatsu filling the crossroads chamber and intimidating Ichigo's group.
 * Menoly Mallia blushing with embarrassment at Sōsuke Aizen's glare.
 * In the manga, after Nel follows Ichigo and his friends into Las Noches while insulting him for not letting her come along, Ichigo begrudgingly agrees to let her stay with him and the group continues running through the tunnel; here, Nel instead claims to not be asking Ichigo to let her come along and is interrupted when she falls into a passage exposed by the tunnel, which the others follow her into before the tunnel collapses behind them, forcing them to travel through the old building comprising the basement area.
 * In the manga, when Renji Abarai demonstrates his usage of Shakkahō as a light source, he and his friends are running through the tunnel created by his and Ichigo's simultaneous attack; here, they are instead walking through the passage underneath the original tunnel and come to a halt when Renji performs the spell.
 * In the manga, the crossroads leading to the Tres Cifras is accessed from the original tunnel created by Ichigo and Renji; here, it is instead accessed from the passage beneath the original tunnel via several doors connecting the old building to the new building.
 * In the manga, the crossroads chamber is dark when Ichigo and his friends enter it prior to the torches above the exits suddenly flaring on, and Uryū Ishida notes that they have finally arrived while Yasutora Sado comments on how dark it is; here, the torches are instead lit from the beginning, and Ichigo simply observes that they have reached a decent-looking area.
 * In the manga, Nnoitra Gilga's hand cracks the wall upon slamming into it; here, it instead does not.
 * In the manga, Ulquiorra Cifer glances to the side at Loly Aivirrne when she and Menoly leave Aizen's chambers; here, he instead looks forward.
 * In the manga, the owner of the foot stepping out behind Ichigo is left ambiguous; here, it is instead clearly revealed to be Dordoni Alessandro Del Socaccio.