Naruto glanced around and faintly heard some audience members nearby whispering:
"I heard Oborozukiya recently got two new actors. They're really good..."
"Yeah, especially that white-haired man playing the woman. He's a little big, but every smile and glance is so alluring!"
"Ooh, he looks like he's already in his forties, doesn't he? He's still got it!"
"The one playing the samurai is great too. He's got a unique presence, though he doesn't seem very healthy.
But that frail samurai air just makes him all the more lovable! Hahahaha!"
"Ah, it's a shame. Ever since that scandal a few decades ago, kabuki hasn't had any truly outstanding female actors. They've had to rely on men playing women.
And I've heard these actors' private lives are... tsk, tsk. They've never had a good reputation."
"Isn't that even better? Hehehe!
But these two newcomers seem pretty decent. I haven't heard anything shady about them..."
Listening to their chatter, Naruto was struck like lightning by an utterly absurd thought that nevertheless seemed to explain everything.
He suddenly recalled Tsunade's insatiable gambling habit and enormous debts, along with Jiraiya's wallet, which she always drained dry despite his generous royalties...
Could Jiraiya and Dan Katō have been forced to work in the Land of Demons because they couldn't pay off Tsunade's gambling debts?
And they were earning money to repay those debts by performing at a kabuki theater with a dubious reputation, famous for men dressing as women?
Once the thought surfaced, it took root and grew wildly in Naruto's mind. Considering Jiraiya's ridiculous personality, Dan Katō's deep love for Tsunade, and the living "evidence" right in front of him...
Naruto covered his face, his shoulders trembling slightly. For a moment, he didn't know whether to be angry, laugh, or simply pretend he didn't know