The moment Sarutobi Hiruzen and his companion stepped inside, a madam with heavy geisha makeup hurried over to greet them.
Seeing Sarutobi Hiruzen's mature face and the air of authority he carried, she was instantly delighted.
"My lord..."
"We happen to have a private room available."
"Right this way."
Sarutobi Hiruzen nodded and tossed Masahiro a pouch of money.
It had been generously donated by the bandits and merchant caravans along the way.
"Masahiro, go get yourself a room."
"Don't come bother me..."
Masahiro took the pouch and peeked inside. His face flushed with excitement, and he stood up straighter.
"Yes, my lord!"
The madam had a sharp eye, too. She'd spotted how full the pouch was from a distance, and her face lit up with joy.
It looked like this lord was sure to be a big spender.
The madam immediately led Sarutobi Hiruzen to a room decorated with elegant furnishings and filled with the lingering fragrance of incense.
She knelt respectfully beside Sarutobi Hiruzen and asked,
"Would my lord like a geisha, or..."
Sarutobi Hiruzen glanced casually at the madam. The imposing aura of a Shadow that slipped out of him made her shiver.
"An Oiran..."
"I came here, of course, to choose an Oiran."
Though she'd been expecting it, the certainty in Sarutobi Hiruzen's voice still made the madam's heart leap with joy.
"But, my lord..."
"The price of an Oiran..."
The lord before her was imposing, and the fabric of his clothes was clearly fine.
But even so, there had been cases at the Spring Pavilion where a customer got in the carriage without paying the fare.
"Clink..."
A crisp metallic sound rang out as something landed on the table.
A gleaming gold bar sat there.
The madam picked it up and saw that it was as thick as a finger.
Sarutobi Hiruzen was going to travel between worlds, so he'd naturally prepared some metal currency in advance for his journeys through the myriad realms.
As the Shadow of the wealthiest village in the ninja world, Sarutobi Hiruzen certainly wasn't short on money.
The madam was delighted. As if she'd been prepared, she took a well-preserved booklet from her ample cleavage.
Sarutobi Hiruzen opened it and couldn't help but marvel.
The best in any line of work really did have their merits.
The booklet used remarkably lifelike portraits to help customers recognize the Oiran.
Beside each Oiran's portrait, there was even a thoughtful illustration of her wearing a mask during a parade, so customers could identify her.
On the other side of each portrait were the Oiran's stage name, specialties, and background.
Sarutobi Hiruzen gave it a cursory look and found women from all sorts of households.
A wealthy young lady whose family had fallen on hard times, the widow of a declining noble family, the young daughter of a disgraced official...
Come to think of it, as the Hokage, the Shadow of a village...
It would be perfectly reasonable to build a similar entertainment venue in the village and provide some benefits for the people there...
Sarutobi Hiruzen hadn't flipped through the booklet for long before he found someone he liked.
"This one..."
"And this one..."
Sarutobi Hiruzen spoke to the madam.
"And this one, too..."
Without the slightest hesitation, Sarutobi Hiruzen chose three geisha of Oiran rank.
The madam had no objections. Gold had great buying power in any era. The gold bar Sarutobi Hiruzen had given her could pay for three visits a night, or even seven.
The madam also discreetly asked whether Sarutobi Hiruzen wanted high-grade tonics—the sort supposedly used by the Daimyo.
At that, Sarutobi Hiruzen nearly lost his temper.
He might look a little old, but he was still in the prime of his strength, wasn't he?
As the strongest Hokage, he could handle it just fine!
Sarutobi Hiruzen took the pills the madam handed him and put them away, then solemnly said that she should refrain from doing that next time.
Otherwise, he'd have to criticize her and file a complaint for discriminating against customers.
The madam lowered her eyes and humbly accepted his words before leaving the room.
Before she went, though, she reminded him that, in theory, Oiran only sold their skills, not their bodies. If he wanted an Oiran to spend the night, she had to agree.
Sarutobi Hiruzen understood at once. He was well versed in this sort of thing.
The three Oiran Sarutobi Hiruzen had chosen soon arrived.
They lined up obediently in front of him.
"You..."
"You're Renji, right?"
Sarutobi Hiruzen picked out the most strikingly beautiful Oiran and motioned for her to sit beside him.
"You two know how to sing and dance, right?"
"Ahem..."
"I mean, you know how to sing and dance?"
Sarutobi Hiruzen sat casually, one arm around Renji as he asked the other Oiran to perform.
The other two Oiran felt a little disappointed that Sarutobi Hiruzen hadn't chosen them.
They'd heard the madam say that the lord before them was a big spender who threw money around without a second thought. If they could win his favor, he might even spend a fortune to buy out their contracts.
Though disappointed, the Oiran still performed with great effort, out of professional courtesy.
One danced while the other played the biwa.
As the cups of sake went down, the elegant music stirred up a heady atmosphere in the room.
Meanwhile, Sarutobi Hiruzen and Renji made idle conversation.
"You used to be a wealthy young lady?"
"Your skin is so lovely."
"Do you take special care of it?"
Renji answered each question in a sweet, tender voice, looking every bit as endearing as her name suggested.
Renji really was more striking than the other Oiran—not only did she have a particularly voluptuous figure, but her face was also more vivid and refined than theirs.
Most striking of all was her translucent skin, fair and luminous, so delicate it seemed to invite a touch. She was utterly captivating.
Once the alcohol went to his head, Sarutobi Hiruzen began to let loose.
"Do you have a handkerchief?"
Sarutobi Hiruzen asked.
Renji nodded with a radiant smile and took out a white handkerchief that carried a feminine scent.
"Let's play a game..."
"You guess."
With a mischievous grin, Sarutobi Hiruzen placed the handkerchief on his lower abdomen.
Renji's eyes widened, and for a moment she didn't understand.
But she quickly realized what Sarutobi Hiruzen meant, and her cheeks reddened.
She'd met plenty of customers who were either prudes or shamelessly uninhibited, but none who'd played quite so daringly.
And the customer before her looked like an imposing government official, too.
"My lord is quite the joker."
With a coy, inviting expression, Renji played along.
"With my lord's abilities..."
"Of course you can..."
Sarutobi Hiruzen smiled broadly, a hint of meaning in his expression.
"With my abilities, I can certainly..."
"But it depends on the person."
"And the circumstances."
Renji played along, too. With a coy, inviting look, her boneless little hand slid down Sarutobi Hiruzen's hard chest, passing over his sharply defined abs.
"And what about this situation..."
"My lord..."
Before you continue