Rangiku Open sparring in squad 4!

With a flash Rangiku was out of sight. Not out of mind though as she slipped from his view as he felt her slip away before his sword could begin its assault fully. His body shifting as he leaned going forward as his sword slashed into the ground. He would have to move more at his full speed if he wanted to hit Rangiku with something like that it seemed.

But more importantly, he really needed to watch his mouth before he got in trouble with Rangiku. As carefree and lighthearted she was, she was a superior still and they were both in uniform. That was not appropriate and he needed to THINK with his head. A few nervous coughs followed Rangiku’s questionable look and her rebuttal. Even if it was a tease, a tease that somewhere in the back of that naughty mind of his gave him a bit of hope. A quick side glance to the side toward the few bystanders that he did not notice before showed that he still had to work on being civil. “Right, apologizes Vice Captain. I will make that up to you”, Tento said in a sincere voice hoping to not get too much of a scolding later from her. Professor Rangiku could be just as stern and scary as she was beautiful after all.

With a flash he would move as well, meeting Rangiku’s kick with his own choosing to clash their legs against each other. Flicking his sword he would fly his sword up to clash and direct Rangiku’s sword to the side as well before pushing off Rangiku’s leg as he landed slided back to gain space. “Perish the thought. I don’t take a day off”, Tento said, bringing his sword up to his side blade up before rushing forward, throwing a slash of his blade side to side before dragging it again. Feinting an upward slash before shifting his blade to a stab to the side.

Tch. Once again missed by a hair. Just when Tento thought he had her too! Tento had to give it to Rangiku, she sure was sly like a fox. She was adept at using her flash step to get out of a slight pickle, a testament to her years of service. She would not have lived as long as she did on the battlefield after all if a feint could get her without a hitch. She was definitely not faster than him, but she knew well when to use that leverage, he would have to use more of his head if he wanted to get this Vice Captain a true challenge.

Letting his missed swing slice the air, Tento shifted his blade into a downard guard as he shifted his grip on his blade, holding his Zanpatuko with one hand. “Oh!?”, Tento let out in an excited exclamation. He was overjoyed by what he was sensing, Rangiku had deemed him worthy to unleash her Shikai. “I’m happy to see I am worthy!!”, Tento said letting his veins pump in enthusiasm. “Let’s go!!!”, with a flick of his hand Tento extended both of his hand, his energy climbing in a quick ascension. His blade swung out in a wide arc, Zanpatuko fracturing into a series of slender razor sharp slats that were connected by chains that echoed jiggleds carried by the wind. In what seemed like a dance, the slats fanned out as the expanded in a growing length of the chain, creating a chained fan at the tail end that whirled with the fury of a storm. Slicing through the air with a sound like that of the howling wind, before a number of feathers formed at the head of the fan before Tento’s free hand swung out to take a hold. With his Zanpatuko summoned, Tento swung the chained fan in a gentle spin that grew faster, its edges blurring into a cyclone of steel. The blade end in Tento’s right hand bended and twisted. Fusinging into a crescent shape giving birth to a sickle that gleamed with the reflecting light of the battlefield. The pulsating energy of his zanpatuko was pounding, an extension of his soul calling out to meet this challenge.

The prospect of fighting a Vice Captain at their best was a mouth watering event. The competition and standard before him in that gift was something he could not turn away. Not everyone got to spar against a seated officer after all, even more so one so high up. Add the massive amount of veteran experience battled tested and oh you just had the perfect good time in Tento’s eyes!

Continuing to spin Shiōmaru in hand, the wind began to turn and twist at his behest as he watched Rangiku from afar. Waiting to see what she would throw out with her own shikai. With a swipe of her hilt, an arcing storm of dust shifted from around her, traveling out towards him in a blitz. An attack that was far to easy for him to avoid with his speed, but instead, he would meet her effort with his own. With a swipe of his feather fan, a booming burst of wind flew out from behind him, charging forward to clash with Rangiku’s dust. The flying projectile of dust exploded out in a soft puff of air displacement.

Feeling her energy move, it was clear she was not going to let up in her assault. With a quick set of foot steps, Tento stepped forward while turning, sticking out the chain of his sword outward of himself as an extended shield to soften the blow. Quickly following, the blade of his sickle would shoot out with a flail of his chain, straight towards Rangiku’s side as Tento attempted to throw a piece of the chain around her outstretched leg. Rangiku was only showing a scratch of the surface of her abilities, her speed and power had grown considerably but so did Tento’s. His zanpatuko’s spirit softly howled with his own, the wind at his command as he felt himself grow in excitement.

With the chain successfully wrapped around Rangiku's legs. Tento's sickle swung in its motion, bashing her stomach with its blunt surface. Now the next thing to do was…

Next thing Tento saw, Rangiku did something a bit unexpected. He expected a use of her shikai, maybe a use of her flexibility to try and get creative even. But instead Rangiku did something quite the opposite. She allowed his strike to land and went to try and grab the chain. Surely she did not think she could out muscle him so easily, especially with her only being on one leg? His body may have leaned forward for a second but that was all he was going to let her have from him! With a shift of his weight, Tento lowered his knees to let them have a bounce as he dropped his weight. Keeping a strong hold of his chain with a tight grip that flexed his arm muscle, meeting her force with his own to act in a game of tug of war. Through a bit of a grimace of forced strength he spoke, “No, I did not actually. But now it's my turn, Professor”.

Quickly after doing this yank, he would let loose an chantless incarnation of kido, letting a quick surge of electric energy surge from his chain to around to the section around Rangiku’s leg. The use of Hadō number 11 Tsuzuri Raiden was something he had practiced and used hundreds of times. He altered the use of this kido so often but there was one style of modification that he liked the most. A focus of the current on a critical level to attack the nervous system. Not just giving a bit of damage but stunning the body of his foe as well.

Following out of the stun, Tento would use that pause to hopefully take advantage of his leveraged position. If Rangiuk kept her grip on his chain he would use it to his advantage, stepping in with a slide of his forward foot as he dropped his weight. Spinning with a leg sweep aimed for the bottom of Rangiku’s foot while shifting his weight of their tug of war to the side, aiming to throw Rangiku off of her one foot balance. Quickly moving close, Tento would move to point the edge of his feather fan to her neck as he waited for her next move.

Letting out a slow soft hiss of air as he exhaled. Tento looked down as his former professor with an intense focus. His fan may had been made out of simply feathers, but they were much more than a decoration. Not his blade but just as much of a threat in his opinion. Tento was not the smartest of fighters, not a grand scheme such that of the level that Captain Urahara could make up before hand. But he had battle instincts honed in experience and from within, with a growing bag of tricks to dip into too. He had a versatility that made himself feel pride. And he hoped he left a good impression of his current skill to his former professor as she flashed stepped away.

He felt pride in being able to give Rangiku a push. Even if it was for a short few seconds, he had pressed a true veteran from the Gotei. One of the figures of the Gotei 13. With the repositioning of both of them, Tento adjusted his hold of his zanpatuko’s fan while beginning to swing Shiomaru in a low twirl to the side once again. As much as a shake up Rangiku looked, the woman darn looked as beautiful as ever still.

As much as Rangiku may remember from Tento during some of the classes she touch, she would remember he was perticuly skilled with the sword. So much so he got placed in classes several years ahead of his grade. A fast learner through repetition and passion, but average in the other lanes. Hoho, kido, even battle tactics. He did not avoid these arts though. It was no wonder however with his academic emphasis that she would have unexpected him to mix kido of all things in the middle of a sword fight. Hakudo would have been a far easier thing to see. The older members of the 4th would not get caught dead using kido like he did. And for some of them, it was a blemish on their view of Tento. A user of the technique of cowards. But for Tento that was fool’s talk! Shinigami were warriors and had to use all their weapons at their disposal. To not even have a fundamental grasp and use made you unworthy to be in the 4th. The best combatants that the Gotei had at their reserves to defend the balance.

“Hehehe, so I sent a shock up your spine eh?”, Tento happily mused back with a smile of his own at Rangiku’s complement. “I am not the 10th seat of my division for nothing!”, Tento said with a prideful yell swinging his fan to unleash a booming wave of wind to crash into her sand before flashing forward in a flash step, appearing in a closer dash as he stepped forward sending his chained sickle in with a spinning slash.