Chapter 37

"Lady Tsunade, why don't we just repay the debt?" 

Shizune, holding the little pig Tonton in her arms, glanced back at the debt collectors chasing them with the intention to devour them whole. She made a helpless suggestion to Tsunade while running alongside her.

However, Tsunade clearly had no intention of accepting this proposal, clutching tightly to the box in her hands. 

"No way, this is all I have left. Once we move to another town, we can win some money and pay them back!"

Shizune covered her forehead and stopped trying to persuade her, knowing it was futile.

"Lady Tsunade, let's head over there. There are more people, and it'll be easier to shake them off!"

Although both were powerful ninjas, they avoided revealing their true identities to the debt collectors to prevent them from seeking repayment in Konoha. In situations like this, the best option was to run to a crowded place, take advantage of the confusion, and use the Transformation Jutsu to escape unnoticed.

As the two were about to rush into the crowd on the snack street, a monk with a straw hat suddenly blocked their way with his staff.

"Halt! In broad daylight, how dare you men bully these two young ladies? As a monk, I cannot stand by and do nothing!"

Tsunade and Shizune, unable to display their superhuman abilities, had no choice but to stop running.

The debt collectors also came to a halt upon seeing this.

"Where did this meddling monk come from? This is a matter of recovering debts they owe. Even if the authorities came, it would be justified!"

The leader of the debt collectors, brandishing a large club, angrily retorted.

Leo put down his staff and performed a Buddhist greeting.

"Indeed, it is just to repay debts. But violence is not the answer. How about this? How much do these two young ladies owe? I can cover it for them."

"Are you serious?"

The debt collectors' expressions turned from anger to joy upon hearing that the monk was willing to pay off the debt. 

It didn't matter who paid, as long as they got their money, they could report back to their bosses.

Meanwhile, Tsunade and Shizune, who were planning to escape while Leo distracted the debt collectors, stopped in their tracks when they heard the monk was willing to pay off their debt.

"I can't believe there are still such gullible... good-hearted people in the world."

"Lady Tsunade, you owe so much. He might not have enough money to cover it."

"Don't worry, let's see first. If he doesn't have enough, we'll run."

They communicated their next steps through a quick exchange of glances. Essentially, they were ready to act according to the situation.

"It's true. My family is quite wealthy, and I have some spare money."

Leo performed another Buddhist greeting and responded sincerely.

"She owes me a million ryo!"

"She owes me five hundred thousand ryo!"

"She owes me three million ryo!"

...

The debt collectors started pulling out their IOUs. In total, Tsunade's gambling debts amounted to thirty million ryo.

Despite being mentally prepared, Leo couldn't help but twitch his mouth at the sum.

To put it in perspective, an A-rank mission for a ninja village pays between one hundred fifty thousand to one million ryo, and that's shared among the team members.

Thirty million ryo equated to a staggering number of high-paying missions.

Seeing Leo hesitate, Tsunade quickly handed her box to Shizune and dashed over to Leo, showing a pitiful look.

"Sir, I was young and naive, which is why I ended up owing so much. If you kindly help me repay it, I'll give you an IOU and pay you back as soon as I can!"

In Tsunade's view, owing money to one kind-hearted monk was much better than owing money to numerous casinos and constantly being chased by debt collectors.

The monk seemed like the type with a good temperament, who wouldn't mind waiting a bit for repayment. Plus, she was confident that she would win back the money soon.

'You're fifty years old and still claim to be young and naive. Truly, that's just like you,' Leo thought, stifling his internal sarcasm. He then put on a troubled expression before sighing.

"Alright, since I'm currently traveling and don't need much money, I'll lend you the amount to clear your debt. However, young lady, you must remember that gambling is a losing game. It's best to avoid it in the future."

"Of course, I will remember!"

Tsunade quickly wrote an IOU for thirty million ryo and stuffed it into Leo's hand before disappearing down the street with Shizune.

Leo stood there momentarily stunned, then turned to the debt collectors and smiled.

"Alright, everyone, let's head to the bank."

From today onward, Leo had become Tsunade's largest creditor.

The Fifth Hokage owing thirty million ryo to the prince of the Land of Fire was a significant favor. In the future, as long as he didn't ask for anything unreasonable, Tsunade would likely look favorably upon him because of the IOU.

Money was valuable only when used wisely. Otherwise, it was just a pile of worthless paper.

After taking the debt collectors to the bank, Leo didn't stay in the town any longer and continued his journey towards the Wave Country as planned.

By evening, standing by the sea shrouded in thick fog, with a partially constructed bridge and a faintly visible island ahead, Leo murmured to himself:

"I'll wait here. Judging by the distance from Konoha, they should arrive tomorrow."

He walked to the shore and quickly formed hand seals:

"Lightning Release: Earth Walk!"

Electricity flowed from his hands into the sea, causing four or five fish to float to the surface, belly-up.

Taking out a spear from his mission space, he skewered the fish and started preparing his dinner.

Although the items in his mission space were mostly of little value, they weren't like regular objects that couldn't be transported between worlds. Even in the Naruto world, he could access the items he had acquired during missions in Sokovia.

So even when camping out, he could pull out tents, pillows, lighters, cooking utensils, and more from his mission space.

These items might not seem valuable in a modern world like Marvel, but in a world with less advanced technology, any modern item could be sold for a high price.

Moreover, the mission space was useful for more than just storing items. If used correctly, it could greatly assist in combat.