 Although initially ordered to remain on standby, Nnoitra seeks out Ichigo and his friends in hopes of looking for a good fight.After easily defeating Chad, Nnoitra goes to the site of the battle between Ichigo Kurosaki and Grimmjow Jaegerjaquez, where he intrudes on the two at the moment of Ichigo's victory.He defeats and tortures the exhausted combatants, but is prevented from murdering them by Nelliel, who, it is revealed, he had long ago dishonorably defeated and ejected from the Espada because he hated her for being ranked above him.