"Seriously, 'Toshiro' is what you call me? Didn't I tell you to address me as 'Captain Hitsugaya'?"
Toshiro acted as if Yammy were thin air, turning his head and speaking to Ichigo as if no one else was there.
Before Ichigo could answer, the ignored Yammy erupted.
"What's this?! Annoying bastards just keep showing up one after another!! Since you want to cut in line—"
"Then I'll kill you first!!!"
Yammy roared and threw a punch at Toshiro.
"Yammy! Stop it!"
Ulquiorra, not far away, saw Yammy about to come to blows with Toshiro, and his expression changed drastically as he tried to stop him.
The moment Toshiro appeared, Ulquiorra had guessed his identity. Then he recalled Toshiro's fearsome reputation, remembered Aizen's instructions when they left, and thought of Aizen's caution regarding Toshiro.
So, as soon as Ulquiorra saw Yammy preparing to attack Toshiro, he immediately tried to stop him.
But before Ulquiorra could finish speaking, Toshiro made his move!
It's fast!
Extremely fast!
So fast that Yammy couldn't see Toshiro's movements at all!
So fast that Ulquiorra only saw a blur.
Bang!
Yammy felt as if a meteor had slammed into his face, and then his body was involuntarily sent flying backward.
"Wh-what?"
The pitiful brain capacity of Yammy, flying backward through the air, still couldn't understand what had just happened.
Crash!
After flying back some distance, Yammy's large, burly body crashed heavily onto the ground, smashing a deep crater several meters in diameter into the earth.
"Tch, you've got some thick skin, don't you? I only slapped you, and now my hand hurts."
Toshiro shook his right hand and quipped.
Toshiro's hand did feel a slight, insignificant pain, but it wasn't really because Yammy's skin was thick. It was because Yammy possessed an Arrancar ability called [Hierro].
Hierro, as the name suggests, is like steel… no, even harder than steel, with tremendous defensive power. (T/N: Hierro means Iron Skin)
"Pfft!"
Yammy, sent flying by Toshiro's slap, whether from the hit or from anger, suddenly spat out a mouthful of blood mixed with fallen teeth.
"You bastard! You're pissing me off!! Aaaargh!!!"
Yammy rubbed his swollen, pig-like face and then charged at Toshiro with a roar.
"Oh my, you want another round? Perfect, I was just wondering which is thicker, your skin or my fist?"
Toshiro said with a smile.
"Yammy!!"
Seeing Yammy continue to engage Toshiro, Ulquiorra could no longer stand by. His figure flickered, instantly appearing in front of Yammy, blocking his path.
"Idiot! He's 'Hitsugaya Toshiro', the one Aizen-sama mentioned!! By picking a fight with him, are you looking to die?!"
Ulquiorra scolded him sternly.
"Hitsugaya Toshiro..."
Yammy was stunned for a moment, then instantly recalled the name.
"Oh, you're smarter than the big guy with the brain, knowing that fighting me is suicide. But I said I wanted to see which is thicker, his skin or my fist, so this isn't over just like that!"
Toshiro sneered coldly, then suddenly charged at Yammy.
"I won't let you!"
Ulquiorra turned around, his expression grave as he looked at Toshiro, looking ready to stop him.
Ulquiorra knew very well that Yammy was no match for Toshiro. Although Ulquiorra didn't particularly care for Yammy as a teammate, nor did he really care whether Yammy lived or died…
But Yammy was one of Aizen's Espada. If Yammy died, it would weaken Aizen's forces. So, Ulquiorra, who was fiercely loyal to Aizen, wouldn't stand idly by and watch Yammy be killed by Toshiro.
Ulquiorra knew he wasn't a match for Toshiro either, but he believed he had the ability to hold him off for a moment or two.
His plan was to hold Toshiro off long enough for Yammy to escape, then withdraw himself.
"Are you trying to stop me? That takes courage, but..."
Whoosh!
Toshiro fully utilized his Shunpo, his figure flickering and instantly vanishing from Ulquiorra's sight.
"No one has ever been able to stop me from doing what I want to do."
Toshiro's ghostly voice came from beside Ulquiorra's ear.
Ulquiorra's green pupils contracted, and he suddenly drew his sword, slashing to his left.
Whoosh!
The sharp blade cut through the air, but only dispersed an afterimage. Toshiro's figure had already vanished.
Ulquiorra turned his head towards Yammy, only to see Toshiro leap into the air, hovering there, forming a fist. His right hand, carrying a whistling wind, smashed down towards Yammy's head again.
Crash!!!
Yammy didn't even have time to react before he was once again sent flying by Toshiro's punch.
This time, blood flowed from Yammy's nose, ears, and other orifices. He cleanly lost consciousness and didn't get up again.
By then, Ulquiorra had finally reacted. Taking advantage of the moment after Toshiro threw his punch, unable to attack again, Ulquiorra used his full-powered Sonido, instantly appearing beside Yammy.
He then gripped his Zanpakuto tightly, staring fixedly at Toshiro.
"Captain Hitsugaya, we have no intention of being your enemy. Let's end it here. We are returning."
Ulquiorra spoke while staring at Toshiro, cautiously opening a Garganta.
"Oh? One of the esteemed Espada is fleeing without a fight?"
Toshiro said mockingly.
"Captain Hitsugaya sure likes to joke. We are mere Espada, not on the same level as you. Aizen-sama told us after returning from the Soul Society to the Hueco Mundo that if we ever encounter Hitsugaya Toshiro during a mission, we are to abandon the mission and prioritize preserving our own lives."
"So, even fleeing disgracefully in front of you is nothing to be ashamed of."
Ulquiorra spoke to Toshiro while stepping backward, pulling the unconscious Yammy along, and carefully inching towards the Garganta.
"If you were killed here, Aizen would surely be distressed. And killing you now would mean fewer casualties for the Soul Society in the final battle against Aizen later, wouldn't it?"
Toshiro squinted his eyes as he watched Ulquiorra trying to leave with Yammy.
"If Captain Hitsugaya insists on killing us, then I have no choice but to fight back with all my strength. But would it really be worth it?"
"Remember, Kurosaki Ichigo and his companions are here, and the humans of this town aren't far away either."
"While it's true I'm no match for you, if I go all out, it would inevitably involve Kurosaki Ichigo and the humans of this town. Or does Captain Hitsugaya have the confidence to kill me in an instant, leaving me no chance to strike?"
Ulquiorra continued pulling the unconscious Yammy toward the Garganta, seemingly unconcerned that Toshiro might actually try to stop them.
And in fact, Ulquiorra's guess was correct. Toshiro indeed had no intention of taking the risk of detaining Ulquiorra and Yammy.
Although they were both Espada, Ulquiorra was not like Yammy. His strength was definitely beyond that of a standard Captain, and among those Beyond Captain level, he was among the top.
Even though Ulquiorra was only ranked fourth among the Espada, Toshiro, having read the original work, knew that unlike the other Espada and Arrancars, Ulquiorra could perform a Segunda Etapa.
This Segunda Etapa, a special ability equivalent to a Shinigami performing Bankai twice, would cause his Reiatsu to skyrocket to a terrifying degree.
At that point, Ulquiorra's strength might not be inferior to the Primera Espada, Coyote Starrk, and was not something Yammy, the so-called 'Cero' Espada, could compare to.
So unless Toshiro unleashed his ultimate techniques after using Bankai, he couldn't effortlessly one-shot Ulquiorra.
But the conditions in the Living World simply didn't allow Toshiro to go all out.
Not only that, even moving slightly too aggressively could cause considerable trouble.
Thus, Toshiro ultimately did not stop Ulquiorra and Yammy from leaving. He watched as Ulquiorra took the unconscious Yammy into the Garganta, which eventually vanished.