It seemed that Ru was the place they were headed, which meant it was on Takumi to take them there as quickly as possible while also getting them in the least trouble. He hadn't traveled directly to Ru before but he had been past it and knew enough about it and the area to take them. With that sorted out they could get a move on, Takumi getting the attention of the Rontu so he could start to lead them.
"Ru is a few hours away by foot if you follow the main roads. We could cut that time down by an hour or so if we cut through Ing forest, there is a small path there that is mostly unused. It will take us straight to Ru without having to go around so much stuff, wild animals are a concern but we should be fine given the group size. Worst case the Oni just have to growl and it should scare whatever off without us having to kill them. Keep a look out though, sometimes wildmen hunt in that forest, unlikely but worth noting." He briefly explained as he began to lead them, following the main road for the time being. This was going to be a very long term job for Takumi and while the pay out in the end would be worth it, he did have to wonder if this group was capable enough to not simply get themselves and him killed when they eventually ran into trouble. After they got far enough away that the initial Shima escort stopped following them, he decided to just throw out a question he felt would be important info for him.
"Shima isn't known for engaging in many wars so I have to ask. How many of you have been in fights to the death, how many of you have actually taken lives? And if you have, are you confident enough in your abilities to actually kill the guys you are after?" He expected the old lady had, since most seniors who were brave enough to travel had taken several lives already. The others he was unsure of, even the two Oni seemed to humanized to assume they were killing machines. Sure some looked like warriors but plenty of people in Baji pretended to be samurai or adopted the look simply for the respect it would bring. Guiding such people was always a risk, since if they died he would have to rather quick to flee or work out a deal for his own safety. It would suck to miss out on the big reward promised, but his own safety came first so he needed to know how confident he should be in them making it even part of the way. As they walked and talked a pair of crows flew out from some nearby trees and began to fly overhead for a few seconds before speeding up and heading towards Ing forest to scout it for him, just in case a very quick change of plans would be needed.
