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Nanobeam electron diffraction and a series of dark field images techniques were used to investigate the deformation mechanisms of nanocrystalline (nc) Ni in response to in situ tensile deformation under transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The experiments exhibit the complete processes of individual grain rotation and neighboring grain rotation/growth. Deformation-induced grain rotation and growth as one of plastic deformation mechanisms in nc materials was revealed. At the same time, these results were confirmed further by ex situ TEM observation on deformed sample and were also better understood by physical deformation model.