The Uchiha Clan's words were deeply moving. Inuzuka Xiaotian understood every word they said. The Uchiha Clan needed allies, needed to break the Hokage faction's political blockade, and his clan had happened to be caught in the right place at the wrong time. A single Hellhound summoning had backed his clan into a corner. There was hardly any room left to maneuver.
The Uchiha Clan's First Elder had told him even more directly: when it came to Uchiha matters, going to the Hokage was useless. No one could take what belonged to them. Friends would be welcomed with wine and meat; enemies could fend for themselves. There was no chance of standing in the middle and watching the show.
What kind of banquet was this? It had nothing to do with negotiation. This was outright forcing his clan to choose a side. They could either choose the Hokage faction and slowly wait for their clan to die, or stand beside the Uchiha Clan and grow stronger together—though they would surely face exclusion from those around them. Die immediately, or live bitterly.
Inuzuka Xiaotian sighed. What the hell was there to choose? Did he even have a choice...? Once he made up his mind, the pressure weighing on him vanished the moment he made his decision.
Inuzuka Xiaotian raised his head, stood, and lifted his cup. "My Inuzuka Clan is, of course, a friend of the Uchiha Clan. We are now, and we will remain so in the future. For the future of both our clans, I propose a toast!"
Everyone immediately responded, raising their cups and draining them. The atmosphere soon became lively once more. The Inuzuka clansmen naturally knew what had happened and understood that there was no turning back. Since things had come to this, they simply cast