A meeting of Fire and Lightning.

[King]

Time had stretched long and thing since his last visit to the land of water. It didn't look the same since Kirino passed. The mist became terrifying; the waters dark and filled with inky, monstrous shadows. Even the sun seemed pale in these cursed lands now, stripped of its revitalizing glow for pale, filtered light.

Ashura sat at a private table, set for two, just outside a local tea shop. A half-filled cup sat before him, its contents still steamy and fresh; a faint trace of honey lingered in the air, hinting at the beverage's flavor.

He wore a stark white two-piece suit, with a grey button-up and bleached tie to match. Casually, he glanced at the watched fastened about his wrist, idly watching the hands tick the time away. His appointment started in little under three minutes, and he hoped his interviewee wouldn't be late.

Punctuality was something his employer favored.

[Chae]

After several, long, tedious days, Chae finally made it back to his home, Mizu no Kuni and most of all, Kirigakure. Although seven years had seemingly passed at the snap of a finger, Chae's face stirred up both its shinobi and civilians alike, well known within its walls frlom his past behavior. Some may have thought and fancied him to be the same old money hungry-alcoholic-skirt chasing ninja, however, they'd couldn't have been more wrong about him. Having changed both mentally and physically, his eyes looked at the world differently, including his own home, family, and friends, all thanks to Anko's help. Already longing to see her smile and feel her touch once more, his hand reached up and rubbed the necklace he received from her as an anniversary gift.

"Guess I better get to this meeting. Cant waste time."

Unfortunately, with his return, he'd already been thrust into a 'business' opportunity that seemed bigger than anything he had ever been apart of - besides the village that is. During his way home, he'd been stopped by an anonymous messenger, one who carried a message specifically for Chae's eyes only, a message that required him to meet with a nameless man to discuss whatever it was he wanted to discuss. Having no idea what to expect, he remained on his toes, but, for the most part he felt safe within the walls of his home.

Before long, he reached the meeting area where he effortlessly spotted his 'interviewer', dressed in an all white two piece with tendrils of smoke that rose up from the cup of hot tea. Seating himself thereafter, he looked the man in both eyes before speaking.

"I don't mind this little talk, but tell me something, how do you know who I am? After that, I guess we can begin."

[King]

Ashura glanced up from his cup, sipping lightly, as his guest seated himself.

"I know people," he replied, dryly. "And it's those people's business to know of individuals possessing valuable talents, such as your Raiton no Yoroi and Jigokuzuki."

He placed the cup down. "Now, let's begin."

Ashura sat a little straighter in his chair, crossing his leg, and let both of his hands come to rest on the elevated knee just shy of the table's reach. It would be interesting if the older gentleman recognized him from the exams, but he didn't bet on it. He hardly looked like the young tournament propagator from seven years ago. "The people I represent have taken a keen interest in your lightning based abilities. You are by one one of the most prominent users of the time, and arguably one of the only true masters of the art."

"With that being said, we stand to make an obscene amount of money by acquiring your-- talents, we'll say." Plucking his cup from the table, he took a single sip and then set it down once again. "You could become rather wealthy, yourself. Acquire money that you could put toward your child's future, should you and Anko decide to have one."

The idle comment about his wife was, again, simply a demonstration. How Chae took it, however, was entirely up to him.

[Chae]

While his immediate answer to Chae's inquiry had been fairly vague, it'd been more than enough considering Chae's background as a standing Kirigakure shinobi whose done the exact same thing. Truthfully, he hadn't been surprised to have had him comment about his abilities regarding Raiton Ninjutsu, after all, once word gets out that one has required a nearly long lost technique, the search for that person his narrowed down quite easily.

Needless to say, Chae listened intently once the man continued on to lay out his proposal as well as its benefits. He thought about himself seven years ago, envisioning himself selfishly accepting the offer without even a sliver of hesitation. His eyes closed for just a moment, then opened back up and met with Ashura's own. But then. . .

It all changed.

It all changed the moment he mentioned not only his 'future' child but his wife as well - Anko. For the briefest of moments, his face contorted in primordial anger as he attempted to analyze and deduce the man's motives and intentions. Subconsciously, his hand sparked with rudimentary bolts of raiton chakra, however, he looked around and remembered that they'd been in a public area. Calming himself, he sighed as the chakra faded in turn while he readied his response.

"It seems you've done your research on me eh. Unfortunately, money hasn't been my motivation for quite some time. . ."

While his words held a great many truths, his mind failed to realize that neither he nor Anko could live peaceful lives without money, and considering that most shinobi run dry when war isn't upon them, money hadn't exactly been falling from trees. With Anko's best interest at heart, he considered the possibility of taking up arms once more, yet also what she would've thought about it.

"- But, I'll do it, but only on one condition. You tell her nothing, absolutely nothing. You grant me that one request and every ounce of knowledge i've poured into Raiton ninjutsu is at your employer's mercy. Just know that money is not my reason doing this, wanting a future with my wife is. So, when it all comes down to it, if anything compromises my future with her, all of you will experience Jigokuzuki first hand."

Letting himself be heard, he awaited Ashura's response, regardless of what it would've been.

[King]

"Your relationship with your wife is none of our concern. Your activities will remain in the dark, where they should be. She'll not learn of your hand in anything we do, so long as you don't tell her." Ashura's eyes flickered to the man, analyzing his expression. While not the leading example in relationships, he knew very well how easy it was for a man to let slip his secrets when confronted by the woman he loved. Hoping Chae would be wiser than that, he saw no reason to press the issue.

Clearing his throat, he flashed a mirthless smile. "The tea has already been paid for. Feel free to enjoy it as much as you'd like."

Rising to his feet, Ashura smoothed out the wrinkles in his suit and walked past him. As they crossed, a brief gust ruffled the one-armed man's robes. He would find a packet, stuffed with ryo, in his breast pocket. "We'll send a messenger when we need you."

[Chae]

An overwhelming sense of relief swept over Chae's very being as the idea of Anko finding out about his future investments in that man's employer vanished as he'd been the only one responsible for up-keeping the secret. But when questioned, could he truly keep such a secret from his love? Only time could have told. Nevertheless, Chae's eyes followed the man once he raised out of his seat, figuring that the conversation had been over just that quick.

Thereafter, a sleight of hand placed a package within his robe, its contents already known from the weight of the back and the metameric pieces of metal that shuffled around inside of it - Ryo. Without even batting an eye, he replied.

"Don't keep me waiting too long, its rude y'know. "

Chuckling softly, a quick hand plucked the cup of tea from the table where he proceeded to enjoy its contents while it'd still be relatively hot, after all, it was free.