Chapter 4
Naruto sat in seiza in the middle of the village, sipping tea, surrounded by goblins sat the same way. The tea was given to him by one female goblin. It was tasteless but even he should be polite. He was the one to show the example. He took some sips before putting his teacup down on the floor. This world didn't have yunomi.
"Naruto-sama, it is done," said Rimuru. Naruto smiled softly.
"I see. Did your potions heal them completely," asked Naruto? He didn't need to ask, but again he should be polite.
"Yes! It works like a charm," exclaimed Rimuru! Naruto chuckled to himself. Humans were still children in his eyes. Rimuru just proved it. Even a grown adult like him will still act like a child when in the presence of an older and higher being.
"Very well. It is time you prepare this village to fight against the Direwolf," said Naruto. Rimuru nodded before turning toward the goblins. Naruto watched them with critical eyes. Building a fence was not a bad idea, considering how primitive this was, he couldn't be judged with higher standards. But if Rimuru wants to make this village prosper, he will need to set higher standards.
Naruto didn't move where he was. He watched the construction of the fence, how it was built with logs where the end was cut to be pointed. Amusement entered his eyes when he saw the surprise on Rimuru's and the goblins' faces. After all, it was not every day that people could see a fence glowing for a moment. Because this village was under his protection, everything they added to the village will receive his protection.
Night time came. The howling of the Direwolf neared them. Fighting was inevitable now. From the distance, a pack of brown wolfs was running toward the village. They stopped on top of a hill.
"The time has come, boys," said the leader. Contrary to his pack, this one was black. "We will reign supreme in this forest." The wolfs howled together. "Our claws and fangs will destroy anything stopping us." The wolfs howled again. "And our first stepping stone will be this goblins' village. We will make it our base. Annihilate them all! Charge!" The leader rushed toward the village with his pack howling and following him. But when they arrived in front of the gate, they were surprised by the fence.
"What is this meaning? Do they think a flimsy fence will stop us," snarled the leader?
"Father, look," said a wolf with bluish fur and a star on his forehead. The son walked next to his father, gesturing in front of the gate. The alpha looked in the direction his son pointed, only to look at a slime.
"A slime," asked the leader?
"Listen all! Turn around and nobody will be hurt! We will not hesitate to defend ourselves," exclaimed Rimuru. The pack's leader growled at the slime.
"Insolence! No mere slime can order us! Trample that fence," he yelled! The Direwolfs charged again, but they didn't check for traps. Some Direwolfs were cut by Rimuru's [Steeal threat] while the other were shot by arrows from the goblins placed behind slits in the fence. The leader was shocked. He didn't want to believe what happened.
"Impossible! How!? Was that your doing," he demand the slime. Rimuru took an arrogant face.
"Yes, it was," he said. The leader growled even louder than before, seeing red.
"Impudence! I will shred those threats with my fangs and claws, and eat you, Slime," he yelled, charging. Rimuru was impressed by his abilities. As the leader said, he managed to cut all [Steal thread] in his path with his claws and fangs, but as he jumped toward Rimuru to eat him, he was stopped in mid-air.
"And that [Sticky threat] for you," said an amused Rimuru.
"This is nothing. I will shred them and eat you," said the leader. He struggled against his bindings but in vain. As Rimuru was about to give the final blow, a wolf bigger than the leader passed him, rushing inside the village.
"Oi," exclaimed Rimuru! The leader smiled at his elder son's plan.
"Hmph," snorted the wolf, smiling at his success. A mere slime couldn't create a plan like that. Even then, normal slime wasn't supposed to be self-conscious. Inside his mind, the true leader was somewhere in this village. And by killing the leader, this village will fall. But he didn't consider that he will be outclassed, letting his instincts guide him.
"Oh." He heard an unamused voice, flinching from it, and stopped instantly, his instincts flared a fight or flight response. Now that he came to reality, he saw the voice's origin, making his eyes widen. The true leader in his mind could only be described as divine, he felt judged by those piercing starred eyes. The being was on his knee, but his stance tells about power beyond his reach. The worst was he can't even sense the male's presence. No, it wasn't correct. He felt like he didn't have permission to sense him.
"You're brave enough to bare your fangs against me. But I only sense arrogance," said a serious Naruto. Attacking a god with malevolence was a crime punished with a fate worth than death. That wolf should stop before it was too late.
Fortunately, the fear of the wolf stopped him to engage in his plan. He was trembling, taking steps backward with his tail between his legs. And Naruto was not interested in finishing this wolf. He looked toward Rimuru who looked concerned. Naruto smiled softly to himself.
"Rimuru, you need to finish the job," said Naruto. Rimuru nodded before turning back toward the leader. He decapitated him with [Water blade], the leader's head rolling on the ground with his body falling next to it.
Rimuru looked at the rest of the pack, [Calm mind] helping him to create a plan without a problem. He then ate the leader's corpse and mimic in a Direwolf.
"You will surrender or die now," exclaimed Rimuru before using his new skill [Menace], roaring loudly. The wind of the roar blew the Direwolf but they didn't back down. Instead, they walked forward as best as they can. Seeing this, Rimuru doubled his effort, wanting them to flee.
Until the wolf lay down in front of Rimuru, their head was bowed.
"Our pack surrender to you," exclaimed the wolves. Rimuru raised an eyebrow, not expecting this result but not taken by surprise thanks to [Calm mind]. The goblins looked confused.
"Did it finish," asked the goblins' elder, a question everyone asked themselves? Naruto nodded to himself.
"The battle finished. This is the victory of the goblins," said Naruto loudly. When they proceed with Naruto's statement, the goblins cheered loudly. Rimuru sighted to himself, wondering what he will do with the rest of the pack. He thought it could wait until the next morning.
Timeskip: Next morning.
Morning came, and a group of Direwolves and goblins were waiting in front of Rimuru and Naruto. The latter sat as always in seiza, but this time leaves were used to create his cushion. When Naruto sat on it, the leaves became more vibrant. Rimuru was on top of a log. The wolves and goblins were wondering why they were called.
"Alright, listen," Rimuru began, "first of introduction for our new friend. I am the slime, Tempest Rimuru, and this is…" he said before pointing to Naruto, "Otsutsuki Naruto, our god." The goblins bowed again and the wolves were wiping on the ground, their head bowed.
The wolves realized that their attack last night was foolish. They attacked a god of all things. They can only pray he will be benevolent and give them a quick death.
"Second, our group just got bigger, so we decided you will form pairs today," continued Rimuru. The village's members were confused. Seeing their confusion, Rimuru elaborated. "It means the forming group of two, one wolf and goblins in this case." They were surprised before looking at each other.
After they were paired, Rimuru explained his plan.
"We need to take care of food, clothes, and shelter, so…" Rimuru said, looking at the elder, but he draw a blank. "Sorry I didn't ask, but what's your name?" The elder shook his head.
"You don't have to apologize Rimuru-sama. Us monsters don't have a name. We can communicate without it," the elder said. Rimuru pondered before looking at Naruto.
"Naruto-sama, is it possible to give all of them names? It will be simple this way," asked Rimuru. The group was surprised and hoped it wasn't a dream.
"Giving a name is a great responsibility. It requires a great amount of magicule to name a monster. Do you believe to be able to carry this responsibility," asked Naruto? Rimuru thought for a second before nodding.
"Yes, I will carry this responsibility and be careful," said Rimuru. At his statement, a loud cheer could be heard from all the villagers, partying and cheering at receiving a name. Even the elder danced happily at this announcement. Naruto smiled softly to himself. He cleared his throat getting the attention of everyone.
"If we are talking about names," he said before looking to his right, "you will come participated too." The subject was the wolf that attack him.
While the other of his pack didn't alienate him, this wolf felt guilty and didn't want the rest of the pack to be punished like him. So, he decided to separate himself from the others and be alone. He was ready to leave in exile but it seemed his plan was foiled. At his mention, fear took over him. But he still walked toward the god with his tail between his legs, whining. The others took notice of his emotion, wondering why he was so scared.
"You're lucky you didn't continue your attack, as attacking a god malevolently is considered a crime," Naruto said. Now, the villagers understood his fear. "While I'm benevolent, I will not let you scot-free. But letting this bravery go will be foolish on my part." The wolf was now confused. "So, as your repentance, you will serve me and be one of my guards." The wolf was flabbergasted like the other. Serving this god directly will be considered a reward for weak monsters like them. But the wolf felt there is a catch. "I accept the fact you quit your pack to protect them from my wrath." The concerned pack was surprised by the wolf's action and sad he quitted them just to protect them. The villagers felt their new god release his presence, awing them. "So, as today, you will be reborn and take a new depart. As of today, you will be the bijuu named Shiroheki."
When the name was given, the new Shiroheki was engulfed in white, surrounded by a white sphere. The villagers couldn't see what happened inside it.
"Now that it is taken care of, Rimuru, you can continue," Naruto said to his champion receiving a nod. Rimuru called the elder and his son.
"So, what was the name of your elder son," asked Rimuru.
"Rigur, sir," said the elder with his son nodded. Rimuru nodded.
"Then you elder will be Rigurd," said Rimuru. Rigurd glowed for a moment, showing his name was marked on his soul. Tears filled the elder's eyes.
"I thank you so much. I'm so happy," said the elder bowing. Rimuru wondered why he was so emotional to receive a name. The slime was even curious, wondering where this curiosity came from.
[Answer: This curiosity you sense come from the passive ability of [Truth Seeker]. The skill will make you search for the truth no matter in what situation you are,] said [Great Sage].
'OH! I see! Then, can I use [Truth Seeker] to know why they're so happy,' asked Rimuru?
[Answer: Yes, but [Great Sage] is sufficient to answer your question.
Notice: [Truth Seeker] increase the Scanning and Search ability of [Great Sage].
Answer: When a monster is named, magicules are used to engrave the name in the monster's soul. By this process, the newly named gained in strength and can evolve in some conditions,] answered [Great Sage].
'Gaining strength? That explains now why he is so happy,' thought Rimuru.
"Rimuru-sama?" The elder worried something bother their new guardian.
"Oh, sorry. I was just thinking about something," said Rimuru before turning toward the son. "You will inherit the name Rigur." The son was bowing, glowing too for a moment while the elder sobbed even louder.
"Thank you, sir," exclaimed Rigur!
"I'm so happy Rigur was able to inherit his brother's name," said the elder, bowing too. The two goblins then left the place for the next one.
'It's a good thing then to give them then,' thought Rimuru. "But again, I'm curious about this Name System. Will it be problematic to give too many names," asked Rimuru to [Great Sage]?
[Answer: Naming will not revolve to decrease your Magicule Capacity. But naming consumes magicules until the forced shutdown of the body.
Advice: Taking time to name monsters is more secure,] answered [Great Sage].
'I see, but I have even more questions now. It can wait, just warn me when I become too low on magicule,' said Rimuru.
[Understood,] said [Great Sage].
Rimuru never noticed Naruto's smile. Because Naruto knew the conversation between Rimuru and his skill. He approved his use of his new [Truth Seeker] skill to be careful. He watched Rimuru all the goblins but sweatdropped at the non-creative one. It seemed Rimuru will need to work on his creativity.
Creativity was a powerful tool. It was thanks to creativity and knowledge thirst that the greatest warriors were born. It will be necessary to be creative for Rimuru as he is his champion.
"Hum, I'm not here to question you, but is it okay," asked Rigurd?
"What is it," asked Rimuru back? He see that Rigurd was concerned.
"It's not that I'm not happy, but are you okay to name all of us," asked the elder again? Rimuru realized what he meant.
"Oh, don't worry. We will take a break after I name all the goblins," replied Rimuru. The elder was happy to hear the news.
"I see, then I will not hold you back, sir," said Rigurd. And then Rimuru continued to name until all goblins has a name.
"Everyone, we will take a break of ten minutes," exclaimed Rimuru!
"HAI," exclaimed the villagers. And Rimuru was happy to take this break. Seemingly, he has enough magicules to stay conscious. He had been warned by [Great Sage]. And the nod of Naruto-sama meant he did a good job.
After ten minutes, Rimuru looked at the Direwolf wondering about something.
'Do they will hate me that I killed their leader,' Rimuru pondered until he saw the pack waging their tails. 'Ah, clearly not.' He called the leader's son. 'Now, I want to combine Storm and wolf but…Storm…Fang…AH!'
"Your name will be Ranga," exclaimed Rimuru. Ranga glowed with the rest of the pack. Rimuru was surprised by this event.
"I thank you, my master," yelled the newly named Ranga!
"I see it is finished," Naruto said, taking the lead. "Rimuru, you will rest at my shrine. And my followers," the villagers listened with all their focus, "after your evolution, I expect you to work to make this village adaptable to your new needs." All the villagers screamed an "HAI!". "Then Rimuru and I will go rest." He then walked toward his shrine as the villagers saw him go in what they thought was the direction of his shrine.
Timeskip: Next Morning
After Rimuru passed a night at Naruto's shrine, which surprised him because of how similar the shrine looked to his old world's, he was full of energy, recovering all his magicules. The shrine was bigger and more magnificent than those he remembered. Maybe his god was a leader to other gods or something like Amaterasu from the Shinto religion.
Talking about his god, Naruto-sama visited Veldora to instruct him on his first lesson during the night and only came back this morning. He could see his god sitting at his table at the RDC in seiza, sipping his tea with an elegancy beyond mortal reach.
After finishing his tea, Naruto led Rimuru to the village, ready to see the evolution of the villagers. When they arrived, Rimuru was surprised by what he saw. He wondered who were the big goblins but he wasn't deterred. Using [Truth Seeker], it took fifteen seconds to reach the conclusion that those monsters were the newly evolved villagers.
"This is what it means to gain a rank, huh," said Rimuru?
"Correct, with strength come sometimes a change in appearance," said Naruto walking toward the village with Rimuru following him. The first to welcome them was Rigurd.
"Oh! Naruto-sama, Rimuru-sama, welcome back! I hope your night was restful," said Rigurd. It took three seconds to identify their welcomer.
"Thank you Rigurd. We came to see the advancement of the village. I have an announcement to do too now we much numerous," said Rimuru. Rigurd nodded.
"This way then," said Rigurd, walking toward the center of the village. Rimuru turned toward Naruto.
"Shall we, Naruto-sama," asked Rimuru. Naruto nodded, smiling softly.
"Of course. But first…" said Naruto walking toward the white sphere. Rimuru was confused but followed him while the villagers stopped their activities to see their god walking toward the white sphere from the last time.
When in front of it, Naruto put a hand on it for a moment before nodding to himself and removing his hand.
"The time has come. Come forth, my new servant," exclaimed Naruto! There was a crash sound heard in the village, the white sphere broke into pieces revealing the wolf that it hid. The wolf in question was thirteen feet tall with his fur white. The fur was thick and long on the chest and paw making looked like the wolf had armor and boots. His form was streamlined and elegant while his eyes were a piercing blue. The most prominent feature was the two nine feet long white bushy tails waging slowly behind the wolf. The wolf released a loud howl, sending a shockwave through the village.
"Shiroheki," called Naruto. The named Shiroheki looked at the position of the voice before bowing his head.
"My divine master," Shiroheki said. Naruto nodded and smiled softly at him. The rest of the villagers watched in awe at the power the white wolf possessed until a voice break the silence.
"My master," a voice called Rimuru! Rimuru looked at his side, seeing a wolf with blue fur on his body and white on his head and paws while a blue star was on his forehead with a horn in the middle of the star.
"Oh! Ranga, is that you," asked Rimuru? The wolf in question waged his tail quickly being happy to be recognized by his master.
"HAI!" He waged quicker and quicker until a voice stopped him before he created a tornado just from the force of his tail.
"Ranga, enough. You need to control yourself," said Shiroheki to Ranga. Ranga's tail rested on the ground while Ranga nodded sheepishly.
"Right. Sorry Shiroheki," said Ranga. Shiroheki just nodded.
"You change Ranga. You became stronger and bigger," praised Rimuru. Ranga's tail waged again.
"Yes! As the new alpha, my name became the name of our pack. We are Tempest Wolves now," proclaimed proudly Ranga. Rimuru nodded, happy for the pack of former Direwolves.
"I see. Now we shall begin our reunion. I have an announcement for all the villagers," said Rimuru.
Rimuru sat on the same log yesterday while Naruto sat again in seiza with Shiroheki lying down behind Naruto. Murmurs could be heard, and the villagers wondered what the slime will say. Rimuru cleared his nonexistent throat, getting the attention of the villagers.
"Thank you for your attention. Now, as you can see, we're a big family of Hobgoblins, Goblinas, and Tempest Wolves. So, to prevent chaos, I will instill some rules. For now, there will be three rules," said Rimuru. The villagers were confused by his statement.
"First, no attacking humans but if they attack you, you can attack back. Second, no fighting with each other without reason. Third, no belittling other races. That's it for now," said Rimuru. A hand raised up. Rimuru didn't need to think who this goblin was. "Yes, Gobta-kun." Rimuru gave him parole.
"What do you mean by 'no attacking humans'," asked Gobta? Rimuru sighed. While he liked humans, being a former one, he can't be carefree. He knew how humans could act with each other and how they acted with other races.
"Because humans are prideful creatures that hate what they can't understand. They will use every excuse to control or eliminate others and right now we can't afford to have humans as an enemy even with Naruto-sama's protection," explained Rimuru. Gobta nodded, showing he understood now. Another hand raised up. Rimuru recognized him as Rigur.
"What do you mean 'no belittling other races'," asked Rigur? This is a question Rimuru has no problem answering.
"You're all stronger now, but don't let it rise to your head and push other. You don't want them to become stronger and push you back, do you," said Rimuru? Rigur nodded, showing he understood.
"Next, the plan 'foods, shelters, clothes'. Looking at the state of the houses…" Rimuru and the villagers observed the houses of the village and… they can't even be called huts. "…and the clothes…" The clothes were too small for the newly evolved villagers, revealing more skin and the jiggle of the breasts of the Goblinas. Rimuru cleared again his throat trying to come back to the topic and forgetting those jiggles. "…yeah, we need to request help." The villagers were confused again. Rigurd raised his hand.
"Why don't ask to Naruto-sama, Rimuru-sama," asked Rigurd. Naruto sighted at that question, something everyone noticed.
"Because you need offering to request the help of a god. We're no exception and Naruto-sama can't bend the rules," explained Rimuru. Rigurd winced, knowing where Rimuru's answer go. The village simply doesn't have offerings as of right now.
"It's true. A god's actions' weight creates ripples and changes in the world. To prevent chaos from too many changes, the gods can't help without receiving an offering of equal value to the request and even then, the gods will help indirectly through a mortal of their choosing," explained Naruto. The villagers nodded in understanding but were sad that their god can't help them now because of this rule.
"So, do you have suggestions about people who can help," asked Rimuru? Rigurd hummed before an idea came to him.
"There are the people of the Dwargon kingdom where we tried sometimes to trade with them. The kingdom is filled with different races but the most prominent one is the Dwarfs," said Rigurd with a smile.
"Dwarfs!? The race known for their metalworking," exclaimed Rimuru?! If it's true, then he must go to Dwargon. With the help of the Dwarfs, the village will have the knowledge of building. While he has some knowledge due to being a former contractor, it was not enough. Yeah, going to Dwargon was a must.
"Yes, I'm sure if you ask them, they will help with the building," said Rigurd, proud he could help his master and god.
"Alright! We're going to Dwargon! I will take a group of goblins and Tempest wolfs with me for the travel," exclaimed Rimuru. A resonant 'HAI' could be heard in the village.
Five minutes later, a group of four, including Rimuru, was prepared to travel to Dwargon. Their guide was Gobta who was the goblin that knew most of the road and Dwargon.
"We will be back later. I expect you all to continue to work on the village," said Rimuru. All villagers told him of their agreement.
"Don't worry, Rimuru-sama. The village will be in good hands while you will be absent," said Rigurd while flexing his muscle. Rimuru nodded and get an idea from Rigurd's statement.
"I see. Then I name you the goblin's lord. The lord of all goblins. Lead them with a good hand," said Rimuru. Rigurd began to cry, a cascade of tears falling from his eyes.
"Hai! I will accept this responsibility under pain and death," said Rigurd. Rimuru sweatdropped at his reaction. He cleared his throat.
"Well, we're going," said Rimuru before giving the signal to go.
"Have a nice travel," exclaimed all the villagers, waving at him!
"Be wise on your journey, Rimuru," said Naruto, smiling softly. Even with the distance already crossed, Rimuru heard Naruto's words.
"I will be, Naruto-sama," said Rimuru.
After the group had disappeared in the distance, Naruto addressed his followers.
"Everyone, I will return to my shrine," he said. The villagers nodded but Rigurd intercepted him.
"Excuse me for my rudeness Naruto-sama but is it alright to show us where your shrine resides so we could give our prayer and offering. I would like to build a road to link the village to your shrine," said Rigurd. Naruto saw no problem. On the contrary, he could act more if they offer their prayers.
"This is no problem. If you follow me then. Shiroheki, you too" said Naruto.
"Hai, my divine master," exclaimed Shirohekii
Rigurd nodded, following Naruto who led him to his shrine with Shiroheki next to him. While he walked, Naruto couldn't stop thinking of Rimuru's journey. He should take a look at it as he had a feeling about the chaos revolving around his champion. After all, he was the same in his former human life.