Faced with Tahm's screams, Itachi returned to his expressionless state:
"If you know enough, Tahm, you should be able to figure out that I have no room to hold back right now."
Tahm bit down on his big tongue and said with difficulty, "Are you saying Danzo himself is right beside us?"
"Mm." Itachi replied, "If I held back, you might be able to escape, but Sasuke and I would still be left with a blade at our throats."
Tahm suddenly thought of something even more terrifying. He said, "He isn't planning to use Kotoamatsukami against me, is he?"
Kotoamatsukami, the ultimate genjutsu awakened by Uchiha Shisui, could invade a person's mind and directly alter the way they viewed things.
After Uchiha Shisui's death, one of his Mangekyō Sharingan had fallen into Danzo's hands. To use such a heaven-defying ocular technique, Danzo had even gone so far as to defy the entire Shinobi World and cooperate with Orochimaru, transplanting First Hokage's cells into his own body to sustain the tremendous expenditure of ocular power required by Kotoamatsukami.
Wary of Itachi, Tahm maintained his act and put on an utterly terrified expression.
He even kept himself hovering on the edge of pain, occasionally deactivating data mode so that his pained expression would look more realistic.
Facing the trace of terror in Tahm's eyes, Itachi smiled helplessly. "Since you know about Kotoamatsukami, Tahm, you should have a clear understanding of our current situation."
"The most important thing now is to get through the crisis in front of us first. I'll find a way to deal with Kotoamatsukami."
"Tahm, you're a good friend, and you'll also be a good older brother."
"From now on, I'll entrust Sasuke to you!"
Itachi closed his eyes. When he opened those blood-red eyes again, all warmth had