In regards to this (and yes Chris, I know you said tentatively), I swear I remember there being an old ruling in the DE era that "As If" clauses triggered traits and abilities that would be in effect while opposed. An example of this would be Agasha Chieh Experienced and her "Can cast spells at the current battle regardless of her location" clause.
IIRC, if the player was to use Chieh to cast a spell in the current battle, the opposing player could react with Slaughter The Scout as she's considered to be moving to that battle due to the "AS IF" clause. Granted this is a reaction on a card, the theory is still the same.
I've tried using the search function to find the actual ruling, I believe it may have been made before this forum was up and running and might well be in the old L5R-CCG list. Please, correct me if I'm wrong or if there has been an update to the "AS IF" clause, I just really remember that instance sticking out in my mind.
-hawman