Meanwhile, as the group of the Tsuchikage traveled toward the Land of Fire, Han and his team were on a mission to find Sesaki, a missing ninja from their village.
The first step in their search was to question everyone who knew Sesaki. Han didn't have much hope for this approach, but it was necessary. As expected, interviewing those who had known him didn't yield any useful information. So, they decided their next step would be to comb through the small villages and cities near Iwa, hoping to detect even the faintest trace of Sesaki's chakra. A small residue of chakra would be enough to guide them.
"Yusu, check the north. Azora, check the west. I'll investigate the east and south since I'm the fastest. If any of you find a sign of Sesaki, you are free to pursue him. You're all stronger than him, so there should be no issue," Han ordered. "Remember, if any of you find him or any evidence of his whereabouts, you must notify the rest of the team by sending a sealed scroll through a summoned pet."
With that, Han and his team set off in different directions. The first place Han would check was a small village south of Iwa. After completing his inspection there, he planned to head east. Along the way, he would stop at every town and village he encountered. They agreed beforehand that if they found no trace of Sesaki after searching every town and village, they would return to Iwa and come up with a new plan.
Elsewhere, the Tsuchikage and his group had finished their two-day stay near the Land of Waterfalls and were now traveling through the region. One might wonder why they chose to go through the Land of Waterfalls when they could have traveled through the Land of Grass or the Land of Rain. The reason was simple: the Chunin exam was scheduled to take place in the northern part of the Land of Fire. This decision was likely influenced by the Hokage's reluctance to have the exam held near Konoha, following the tension between the Tsuchikage and the Raikage. The Hokage probably thought it best to hold the exam far from Konoha's territory.
However, the exact location of the Chunin exam mattered little. What was important was that Iwa's strength would be demonstrated to the other Hidden Villages.
That said, there were no guarantees that Iwa's teams would win. Kumogakure would certainly be gunning for the title, wanting to prove their superiority. Konohagakure, as the strongest village, would also want to prove that despite the challenges of the Second Great Ninja War, they were still the most powerful nation. All of this meant the Chunin exam would be a tough battle for every genin participating, as no village wanted to disgrace itself.
Days passed quickly, and before long, the group of ten found themselves nearing the border between the Land of Waterfalls and the Land of Fire. Their main task now was to pass close enough to one of the border patrols so that Konoha would be aware of their presence in the territory. Afterward, Konoha might send a squad of ninjas to escort them. In truth, Arano wasn't concerned whether they were escorted or not, as he already knew the location of the Chunin exam.
They had noticed a few Konoha ninjas spying on them from a distance after crossing the border. However, they weren't concerned about it. It was common for Konoha to keep an eye on anyone crossing the border, and the fact that the Tsuchikage was traveling didn't make it any more unusual. Perhaps Konoha already knew the Tsuchikage was coming. Either way, it didn't matter much, and the group continued their journey into the dense forests of the Land of Fire. They still had a few more days of travel before reaching the location of the Chunin exam, but with Arano's impeccable organizational skills, they would surely arrive on time.
Finally, after a few days of travel through various forests, the group reached the Chunin exam site. The first sight they encountered was a few structures and several ninja from different villages. As they advanced further, a team of Konoha ninja stopped them and informed them that the Tsuchikage and his men would need to follow them, while the genin would be escorted to the location of the Chunin exam by an instructor. After two weeks of travel, the group was split up in this manner.
Information about the Land of Fire (from wiki):
The Land of Fire is one of the largest and most powerful countries in the world. It's home to the main characters of the series and is governed by the Fire Daimyō. The Land of Fire was the first country to establish a ninja village, Konohagakure, a model that other countries would soon follow. As its name suggests, the Land of Fire is heavily oriented toward the element of fire, with generally bright and warm weather.
While it's not the largest country in terms of landmass, it is home to the largest hidden village—Konohagakure. The Land of Fire has been involved in numerous wars with other nations, including the Land of Lightning, the Land of Earth, and the Land of Wind. Following a period of peace, the Land of Fire's vulnerability was seen as a weakness by other countries, which ultimately led to the Konoha Crush by Otogakure and Sunagakure.
The Land of Fire shares a border with the Land of Sound, where the Valley of the End, a significant rift in the land, lies. This valley was formed shortly after the founding of Konohagakure by the First Hokage and Madara Uchiha.