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Official cover art of The Sixth Match and…!!
Cover art © Masashi Kishimoto / Shueisha. Not an original work of Daddy Jim Headquarters. Displayed for editorial commentary and review purposes.

The Sixth Match and…!!

Manga ChapterCh. 74

The preliminaries reach their sixth bout, pitting Shikamaru against the Sound kunoichi Kin. Her bell-and-string trickery nearly throws him off, but the Nara boy finds a shadow to exploit and turns her own reflexes against her.

Volume: 9
Japanese Release Date: April 30, 2001
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Summary

The sixth preliminary pairs Shikamaru with Kin Tsuchi. He opens by reaching for her with his shadow, yet she springs clear and answers with a hail of senbon. Shikamaru slips the needles, only for a noise at his back to break his focus. He discovers bells fixed to the thrown senbon, each tied to a string Kin can pluck from a distance to set them ringing.

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Key Events

Kin lets fly with a second wave, then abruptly finds herself frozen in place. Shikamaru has crept his shadow across to her by traveling along the shadows cast by her own strings. He hurls a shuriken at Kin, and her body, locked into mirroring him, throws one back the same way. Both fighters arch backward to evade, but Kin cracks her skull against the wall, never having noticed how near it stood.

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Notes

The blow decides the match in Shikamaru's favor. With that settled, Naruto and Kiba Inuzuka are named as the combatants for the seventh bout. The chapter falls within the Chunin Exams arc.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Who does Shikamaru fight in this chapter?

In The Sixth Match and…!!, Shikamaru is paired against the Sound kunoichi Kin Tsuchi in the sixth Chunin Exam preliminary bout.

How does Kin try to throw off Shikamaru's focus?

Kin fixes bells to her thrown senbon, each tied to a string she can pluck from a distance to make them ring and rattle Shikamaru's concentration.

How does Shikamaru turn the tables on Kin?

Shikamaru creeps his shadow across to Kin by traveling along the shadows cast by her own strings, freezing her in place before throwing a shuriken she is forced to mirror back at herself.

How does the match between Shikamaru and Kin end?

Both fighters arch backward to dodge a shuriken, but Kin cracks her head against a wall she never noticed standing nearby, deciding the match in Shikamaru's favor.

Who is named for the seventh preliminary match after this fight?

With Shikamaru's match settled, Naruto and Kiba Inuzuka are named as the combatants for the seventh preliminary bout.

Sources & Information

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This content is original writing by Daddy Jim Headquarters based on the Naruto anime series, manga, and official materials. Episode and chapter references are cited where applicable.

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Character and scene imagery on this site is original artwork by Daddy Jim Headquarters, not screenshots or licensed imagery. Official cover art is used on three types of pages for editorial commentary:

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  • Manga chapter pages: Jump Comics volume covers, credited to Shueisha and Masashi Kishimoto.

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