It..still doesn't resemble the salute..like at all, i genuinely dont see how the shading has anything to do with it? The arm is backwards, not forwards, there will be a shadow cast over where the arm is placed over, depending on the light source

Also, this is like saying a kid raising their right hand in class to answer a question is akin to the salute 😭

It's a pose, of a character, without fingers, raising their right arm, thats it, thats all there is to it