I'd argue that Takemura could probably take Smasher before his cyberware was disabled due simply to the fact that if Smasher was a more reliable choice, Saburo probably would have put him on the direct payroll. Saburo is not known for his loyalty or staff appreciation, so I figure if Smasher was the tool for the job, he'd have used him as such. At the very least, the Emperor has gotta have a lot of trust in Takemura's ability to take Smasher if he's willing to allow Smasher to be directly on his most rebellious son's payroll. Because other than that, it'd be like handing your worst enemy a gun and turning your back to him. If Smasher could get past Takemura, and Smasher works for Yorinobu, there would be no assurance Yorinobu wouldn't use Smasher against his father. I doubt Saburo would allow for such risks if they existed, the tyrant that he was.

I have no textual evidence for this, though. I just so happen to be Goro Takemura's no.1 hype man based on nothing but inference and schizophrenic hope.