Author's Note and Disclaimer: This is not technically my first foray into the world of fanfiction, though it is the first on this site. The story I will be attempting to create is a 'Massively Multiplayer Crossover' type involving, obviously, Negima and Naruto. There will be, I think, five other franchises that will get in on this action; I have already chosen them so please don't pester me with requests to add characters from your favorite manga or whatever.

I do not own Negima, Naruto, or any of the related characters, settings, and plots. I do, however, own any OCs unless otherwise noted, as well as the plot of this particular story (assuming it does have a plot and I'm not just fooling myself into thinking one exists).

An Epic Tale Prologue: The Plague of Worlds

He was displeased. He was very, very displeased. He sat alone in the near-center of a spacious spherical chamber, no door or windows or even a table with a bowl of snacks or a drink in sight. It was only him, his floating chair, and the enormous (and very likely holographic) model of something, which took up the better part of both the chamber's volume and the man's attention. The model consisted of an uncountable number of small, colored globes connected by shining strings. Every so often, one of the globes would shiver for a moment, and split into two connected parts. The colors of, and connections between, the orbs undoubtedly held some significance to the man, though their meaning would be undecipherable to any layman who happened to find himself in the room by some unfortunate stroke of fate.

"Hnn..." The man grunted, examining a particular section of the model more closely, before brushing it aside with one of his gloved hands, causing the entire model to scroll in the direction he had sent it. Again and again he perused the glowing web, each time stopping upon sections that shared a pair of unusually ominous characteristics: both the globes and the strings connecting them were pitch black, and they were multiplying at a much quicker rate.

"The infection keeps spreading...with every passing moment, more and more of those wretched shells are created, contaminating their sources, their neighbors, and most importantly the integrity of the pool at large." He spoke entirely to himself, as he had been alone in the room for some time and hadn't been expecting any visitors. Oddly enough, despite his lack of company he kept his face and body entirely shrouded behind a sizable cloak and a mask that bore no features but the slitted eyes he required to view his model.

"I will suffer those fools no longer. They possess the powers of gods, yet lack the knowledge and wisdom to use it properly. And they feed off each other without realization, turning the ideas of others to their own perverted ends without proper understanding of the ways in which such tools are to be handled. Though I consider myself but a novice in these arts, surely I can do better than a fool?" He leaned back, peering at nothing as he stroked his covered chin.

"There is the chance that undertaking such a project will only serve to aide this wretched plague, and I will have, perhaps, doomed myself by my own hubris. And yet, I am confident enough in my skills and habits to terminate the project before it gets too far down the path I loathe so much. I seek to better the worlds, by both providing an example to those that follow, and if possible by eliminating the cancerous shells before they spread too deep into the system."

The man stretched his arms, his nebulous plan making him restless. Abruptly, he snapped forward, his hands busily shifting the model around as his mutterings became more excited. "I shall, of course, need a suitable host world for this little idea of mine. One that could easily handle the number of erratics I intend to send them, concealing their presence while simultaneously allowing them to develop their skills for the task I hope to one day give them. One with a hero with tremendous potential, though I think it may be prudent to pick an early spot in the world's canonical development so as to allow them all time to adjust properly. Though, of course, I'll need a means of keeping the erratics from warping the proper flow of the host's timeline. After all, a wise man once said something along the lines of 'every change which strengthens the protagonists requires a corresponding worsening of their challenges.'" The ever-shifting framework before him came to a sudden stop, as beneath his mask the man's mouth grew into a wide grin.

"Ah! That, I think, is what I'm looking for." He touched the orb that held his focus with but a single finger, enlarging at the perspective shifted closer to what was soon revealed to be a planet. The focus fixed itself on a small town in a small country on the western portion of a large island. The scene rushed inward, showing what appeared to be a school of some sort, and then a group of people gathered in a grand hall. Soon, the images of the people could be heard speaking.

"I will now award you your diplomas." And old man spoke loudly so that all gathered could hear him, but he addressed but five children gathered before him. "You've done well these last seven years, but the real training begins now. Do not let your resolve weaken!" The excitement of the crowd rose in anticipation of what they all knew would soon follow.

"Negi Springfield!"

"Yes!"

The old man called forth, and a young child with a green cloak, reddish-brown hair, and a pair of pince-nez glasses scampered forward, eagerly awaiting the fate his diploma held. He was not aware of the man who watched him from so far away, nor could he have foreseen the plans that man held for him.

Author's Note: The last few lines of dialogue are taken from a scanlation of the first page of the original 'Negima' manga. The earlier quote is from LessWrong's profile page; I do not know whether he created the First Law of Fanfiction himself or simply reposted it. As this is a prologue, it is not representative of the expected average length of future chapters. Finally, given my past habits with endeavors such as this, as well as my current circumstances, I cannot guarantee any sort of regular update schedule. However, as I upload this I should already have the first full chapter completed and should be posting it shortly.

Thank you for your time.